Modesty: a passing virtue?? by Cara Putman
Hi! I’d like to introduce today’s guest blogger, Cara Putman—Gen X mom, writer, and attorney! Welcome Cara.
Modesty: a passing virtue??
Have you gone clothes shopping for your daughter recently? It’s a horrifying prospect. My daughter is only five and a half, but it is already a challenge to find clothes for her that are modest. Yet I believe it is worth the effort to hunt them out (you see, sewing is so not an option for me. I look at a sewing machine and it breaks just anticipating the pain I will put it through.).
I’m not the only one who’s noticed. An 11 year old girl wrote a letter to Nordstrom’s complaining about the lack of modest clothing. See this article. Another great post on Crosswalk.com is Finding Miss Modesty.
I’m fortunate, since my daughter is still so young. I can simply tell her we don’t wear bikinis (but I have to honor that, too, so my message is consistent with my actions). But why does it really matter? In Ephesians 5:3, Paul exhorts that "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people." Not even a hint. That’s a strict standard, but one that is vital to strive for.
But how can we be practical about modesty? Especially when you look at what’s available on the racks. Here’s one practical tip. Visit the website for Pure Freedom, an organization that focuses on purity in teens. There you’ll find a fashion guide packed with helpful tips on how to determine if clothes are modest or not. Print off the poster and talk through its contents with your pre-teen or teen. It will give you great tests to use before you begin back-to-school shopping.
posted by Tricia Goyer @ 8:21 AM
4 Comments:
Great link, Cara. It is hard to find cute stuff that's modest. My daughter is small for her age, so luckily I can still find some appropriate things, but as she gets older it gets harder. And the sad thing is, a lot of her friends don't see the problem in how they dress.
Some Christian moms I'm in a Yahoo group with have started Christian clothing lines ... see their stuff under "Calvary Creations" on Ebay! :o)
Calvary Creations
Also, have you heard of the www.mybattlecry.com website? It's for teens ... to take a stand for Christianity. :o)
My Battle Cry
<>< Mizbooks
Very cool about the Christian clothing. Thanks for letting us know!
My daughter will be 14 tomorrow. She's tall, thin, with curly brown hair down to the center of her back. Adorable!
But thankfully she's very modest. We have the "straight arms" rule. Her shorts have to be longer than her fingertips when she stretches them straight to her sides.
We have other ones too. Her skirts have to be to her knees. Tank tops at home only, and no belly showing at any time! Personally, I'm SHOCKED by what some other girls are allowed to wear . . . to church!
One thing that's really helped us enforce this was having my husband and son read "Every Man's Battle." We've discussed how men battle daily, hourly, with temptations, and talk to our daughter about her role in helping them NOT be tempted. It's a great book!
Too short, too tight, too revealing. Yes! this clothing thing is disgusting and a challenge for moms who coach their daughters in modest wear. Thanks for your blog....and your stance.
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