Is it appropriate for a 4-year-old girl to bathe with her 6-year-old brother?

Answer 1

I would say not but it depends where you live. It's probably quite usual and accepted in say Italy but not in northern European countries. While it's appropriate for children who are close together in age to be curious about or to very occasionally choose to explore each other's bodies, it's not appropriate for it to happen regularly, for an adult to initiate or suggest it, or for an adult to participate in it. Practicing healthy boundaries within a family from an early age is the foundation of healthy nonromantic social behavior and self-protection later on. A natural time to teach children about their right to and the importance of privacy is when you teach them how to dress themselves, but it's perfectly fine to teach them now if you've missed that window.