Weathering our Storms Together

Weathering our Storms Together
Us....

Monday, June 6, 2011

Modern Modesty ....and Young Ladies...







I know, using Modesty with the word Modern is *almost* an oxymoron. So very frustrating.
I am appalled and disgusted by what we have done to our girls. It doesn't take more than a few minutes in any clothing retail store to determine we are undermining the self esteem and self worth of our daughters.
Let me first be clear that I am speaking on decency here...modest in the sense of avoiding indecency or impropriety. Anyone who knows my family well knows that I am always wearing a modest skirt or a dress. I am well aware not everyone shares the same convictions. But regardless of how you choose to dress your girls you can do so *modestly*. Meaning, covering their bodies, and not dressing them in clothes that are sexually suggestive. More over, we can behave in a way as adults that doesn't say to our girls, "dress provocatively to encourage attention from the opposite sex". I have never quite understood why women who cared at all about themselves felt it necessary to make sure their cleavage was showing. Really. What has happened to us???
I personally, want my sweet daughter to feel like her self worth is more than her body. I *don't* want her to feel like she has to "show" to be pretty. or accepted.
Young ladies should not be encouraged to use their bodies that way. It's degrading. It's disgusting. It's WRONG.
Some how our society has gotten the idea that if it's natural, it's fine to expose and that if you are modest you are somehow saying that certain areas of your body are "bad" or certain behaviors (breast feeding for one) is wrong. There is beauty in modesty. There is respect in modesty.

I believe for so many parents it's the need for their child to "fit in" that lends us to letting go of some of our reservations. I, as a parent, can understand that. But somewhere in the rush to "grow up" our girls we've lost what is so important. Let them be children. By nature, we are adults much, much longer than we are children. Childhood is a precious time. Nurture your girls, love your girls, encourage your girls, educate your girls, pray with your girls, but please let them be just that....little girls. Encourage your tween/teen girls to be modest young ladies by example. Be the sex educator of your girls. Talk to them, explain to them, and listen to them.
While I most certainly don't have all of the answers and I (along with my Handsome Hubby) are raising a young lady of our own, I know that what society is leaning to is *not* the answer.

Here is a great article (by CNN no less!) on this topic (Parents Don't Dress your Little Girls Like Tramps)
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-04-19/opinion/granderson.children.dress_1_elementary-school-girls-push-up-bra-plastic-surgeon?_s=PM:OPINION

I'll close by leaving you with this quote...

You have a good many little gifts and virtues, but there is no need of parading them, for conceit spoils the finest genius. There is not much danger that real talent or goodness will be overlooked long, and the great charm of all power is modesty.
Louisa May Alcott


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I'm a daughter of the King, the wife of a wonderful man, the mother to two caring, earthly children and two heavenly babes...

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