I found this cartoon in Pinterest and thought it was fitting for today's post:
I really have a desire to instill in my daughter's virtue and modesty.
1 Peter 3:3-4 says
" Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price."
In our home we have a few little unwritten rules that at least helps steer us in the right direction while raising our daugthers.
1. Mom is an example!
What?? That's right ladies, your daughters are looking towards you, and dissecting everythign you wear to learn how to dress. I am very aware of my outfits, and try to make sure that each and everything I wear is pleasing unto the Lord. I make a point to not wear v necks or other collars that expose any cleavage, make sure my skirts are loose and free flowing and make sure nothing is too tight.
2. Swimsuits
I am astonished at the parents that think tiny little bikinis for toddlers are acceptable. Not only are they teaching young girls what is okay for them to wear, I also fear that it lures the wrong kind of attention from people, we live in a sick world folks and evil people are out there. bikinis serve no purpose either, they just don't. We stick to one peices that have skirts attached to them, or even the two peices that are boy shorts ( or surfer shorts) and long sleeved rash gaurd shirts. It protects against sun burns better anyways.
Something like this ( not my kid by the way)3. Play Clothes and other dresses
I see many 7 year olds in my daughters class with tiny mini skirts, tight, v neck blouses and skin tight shorts. I just sigh. What are they learning about being a modest female? How will they attract Godly men looking like that. Hey, just being honest! I have found beautiful cotton no shrink dresses fro LLBEAN.com that my girls love to wear, and they are loose, cover all the necessaries and they can easily play in them.
They love the matching tights and head scarves as well.
There are other places to buy modest dresses, although I'm beginning to be less and less impressed with mass merchants, who favor towards stuff with Justin Beiber plastered on every article of clothing, spaghetti staps and tiny shorts and skirts. I have found I can find some nice things on Ebay for cheap from LLbean, Lands End and even Gymboree has some nice long cotton dresses.
Is this a struggle for all you parents with daughters? Any other rules you dress your children by?
Linked up to Simple Living Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop til you Drop, Homesteading Barn Hop
Great post! It doesn't help that shows like Toddlers and Tiarras are so popular. And not with girls, but with moms who then get the idea that putting make up and high heels on a 7 year old is smart.
ReplyDeleteMy mom always said, "If it looks like underwear, you're not wearing it as outerwear). Good rule!
Hi Rachel! I don't have daughters, but I enjoyed reading this post! And I agree with you! It is so sad the way people, especially young women, dress these days! I can't believe they are wearing tights with a long top out in public! Looks so cheap and revealing! I love the dresses and the outfit or swimsuit above! I have great-nieces and buy them clothes sometimes, but nothing drastic! And I like what Jill said! Thanks for sharing! Blessings from Bama!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post! It is so important to teach our girls to be modest! (I have 2) and teaching them that it's whats inside that they should be concerned about catching attention for! I agree that it's hard to find appropriate clothing, it's quite a task to undertake!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is only 3 and I started having trouble finding cute dresses for her when she was only 2! Why does every dress out there have to show so much skin?? I didn't think I'd run into this problem in the toddler years. It makes me so sad that this is what sells in our culture. Great post!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. This has been a problem since they were born. Lots of v necks, low collar lines, spaghetti straps, and tiny skirts. It really is frustrating sometimes. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI have been modest all of my life. I do not wear shorts. I do not wear sleeveless blouses or tops that show any of my cleavage. I feel extremely unconfortable showing too much skin. What I wear the most is jeans, capris, and t-shirts. My skirts (when I wear them) are knee-length or longer. I also do not wear high heels. Both of my daughters, ages 24 years and 12 years, are modest as well. Neither of them likes low necklines or too-short skirts and shorts. I simply explained to them how I felt about respecting our selves as women and that showing too much skin can give off a bad impression, told them I would not buy skimpy clothing, and they decided to be modest on their own.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what the choices are but I know there must be choices. I know two people with daughters the same age. One dressed the daughter in midriff shirts and made her commented on her being "sexy" at three. The other little girl dressed normal. By normal I mean old school normal. I will tell you that both of these girls grew up differently in terms of their self esteem. The one the dressed normal is a normal teen - no perfect. The other one is going to be a problem. I really do believe this all started with the clothes. Sooooo, though I have a boy, I am not arguing with him about wearing his old sneakers with the whole in it as opposed to the new ones. He's comfortable and its not bothering him a bit. On another note, I do think its cute to see little diaper butt toddlers at the beach in a bikini. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI agree. I am fortunate to have a seventeen-year-old who wants to dress modestly.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post! I live in a town where I often feel alone on the way I raise my daughter. So nice to see others in the world share my views! Glad I found you on TALU!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! My daughter is only 15 months old but I'm already seeing the trend of clothing that's definitely inappropriate for my beliefs and tastes. And, yes, as her mother I realize the awesome responsibility I have to be the example of the virtuous woman I want her to grow and mature into. It's really shaped my thoughts and behavior over the past couple of years. Yes, I've been a mother for almost 12 years but birthing a daughter seemed to have a shift in my thoughts and practices.
ReplyDelete~TALU~
Michelle