Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Modesty
This has been a subject that has been on my mind for awhile now and mostly as it relates to girls and their modesty, which I think is interesting since I have boys, but maybe its because I don't want my boys looking at immodest girls. The YW I used to have the pleasure of working with were SO great at being modest. They would find modest prom dress, or make the modest by putting cute jackets over or having sleeves made. In their everyday wear they would also make adjustments to their clothing to make them modest. I had a thought of when they started dressing modestly (no, I haven't asked their parents, but maybe I shall). So, Shane and I thoughts on the matter is to start early, not early as in when they enter elementary school, but early as in infancy. Now, maybe you are thinking that a little infant girl or toddler wearing tank dress isn't that big of a deal, but to us it is. Start early so hopefully it can be a teaching moment throughout their lives and when they are teenager they have already made the choice to dress modesty. I recently ran into an old friend from college, Tina Harding at the pool where 3 of her 5 children are taking swim lessons and Corin is too, just at different times. Her 4th child is a little girl who is super cute and funny. She loves to boss Corin around in a cute way and Corin doesn't mind a bit since I don't think he really listens to her, just plays with her before his starts and her siblings gets over. One day she had on a cute little tank dress that crisscrossed in the back and Tina put on a little white tee under it. She still looked super cute and modest!! Even a 2 1/2 year old can be modest. Shane was there that day and even commented on how cute she looked with the tee underneath her dress. So, these are just my own personal thoughts on the subject. Boys are SO much easier I have found out. It is so easy to find tees and long shorts for them, but adjustments and layering can be made to girls clothing. So when I have a girl, which when we decide for #3 I hope it is whether she be 2wks, 2months, 2years or 12yrs I will always dress her modestly.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Ryan. You have to start as soon as you can. I didn't even let Andur wear sleeveless shirts when he was so very little, and now he knows, without me having to tell him, we just don't wear things like that. Our rule is, if it wouldn't cover your garments, don't wear it. I'm glad I started young (when they were babies) because then I didn't have to undo anything as they got older and more determined to pick their own clothes. Well, my kids have been picking their own clothes since they were old enough to do so (one and a half or so), so it's nice that the ground rules are already ingrained into their stubborn little heads. Go you!
ReplyDeleteValerie: I am sorry if you thought I was calling you out, it was never my intentions to hurt your feelings and no it wasn't you who made me think about all of this. It has been a thought that has been on my mind for awhile and I felt like I wanted to blog about my strong feelings. We each have our different viewpoints on how we will raise and dress our children. Good friends of mine do exactly what you do and I see members in my ward do the same thing and in no way I'm saying that my way is right. We each have our different opinions on the matter. One of my good friends would say that I'm being too uptight and its no big deal and to let it go, but that's just not what I want to do. It does probably sound strange that this in on my mind when I have boys, but my conviction was just reaffirmed when I saw my friend's little girl with a tee underneath her dress a week ago and even today, it just took me awhile to get around to blogging. I feel that my blog is just the superficial stuff and I wanted to add some more of my indepth feelings to it. My confidence waivers a lot of the time when I feel strongly about something and I saw it outloud. I sometimes get from people "oh its no big deal", "you're being uptight," etc so I change my thoughts when I really shouldn't and I should stick to my own personal conviction and that is what I'm trying to do, that when I get faced with these comments, even from good friends and ward members that I can come back and find strength again. Again, I'm sorry if you felt I was going after you, not at all! Many in ward do the same thing and feel the same as you do, which is fine. Now that I start to think about it, I believe the Mormon population is split in this subject, I thought I was in the minority.
ReplyDeleteJami: I am glad to hear of a friend who does and feels the same as I do. I don't either put Corin in sleeveless tops, but boys seem so much easier to dress than girls. I was out today looking for a little outfit for my friend who just had a baby girl and it was so hard to find something with sleeves! I want to as well start early so I can say "Since you were a little baby you have always worn modest clothing" May sound silly, but thats what I want to say to my children. I want to teaching to start early so that, hopefully, like you said it is in their stubborn heads and easier for them to face the peer pressure. We have always been thought in the church to make a decision prior to being in a situation and this is what I am trying to achieve. Thanks for giving me the boost of strength to know that I'm not completely uptight. Every little moment can be a teaching moment for our children.
ReplyDeleteI all too often question my own decisions, so I can understand the need for reassurance in some of my parenting styles. It all comes down to what you think is best for your own family, which may not be best for someone else, but that doesn't make it wrong. I love how much we seem to have in common with our kids and with each other, I could sure use someone like that close by. :) Thank goodness for the internet, right?
ReplyDeleteI wish you were closer too Jami so we could hang out and be each other's support, but since we can't be close I am too SO GLAD for the internet where we can read each other's stories and give each other that needed assurance and support. =0)
ReplyDelete