Summer is here and the weather is warm. It’s time for swimming, camp, and spending time with friends! Stores are stocked up on sunscreen, lemonade, and a wide variety of clothing options–many of them skimpy, no matter what the age. Moms across the USA and beyond are standing outside dressing rooms as their daughters try on cut-off shorts that creep so high, Daisy Duke herself would be appalled! So, it’s important to stand ready when your child might make a choice to wear something that is not modest. Here are a few tips to prepare you for perhaps an inevitable summer conversation (hopefully before you go to the dressing room!):
- Start with Scripture: Be sure your child understands that there is nothing wrong with their body. God made them and they are to be modest in how they dress, not because of the body being bad, but because the mind is tempted by sin. Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed, but after sin—they looked at themselves differently and as a result, they made coverings for their bodies. For children who have received Christ, it’s also important to help them understand that their bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. God Himself dwells inside them!
- Discuss their future spouse: Tell your child that their bodies are reserved to share with their future spouse. Depending on the age of your child, this is a great opportunity to have a conversation about sexuality and marriage. Therefore, communicate that being modest is not only about covering ourselves properly, but also saving ourselves for a bigger goal that God may have for us in Christian marriage.
- Consider others: We need to help our children understand that other people look at their bodies. Because we are all sinners, it’s important to help one another not sin by keeping ourselves properly covered. Teach your boys that they should respect girls by not looking at them in an inappropriate way—no matter what they choose to wear.
As you can see, conversations about modesty can lead to teaching opportunities on many topics that affect your child. Be prepared to have a biblically-based, heart-felt talk about the need to be modest. Don’t be caught off guard and try to reason with a preteen in the dressing room! Let the Lord guide you as you teach and equip your child to make choices for the right reasons—ultimately to glorify their Creator, their Savior.
For more great content on raising Christlike kids, check out the Lifeway Kids blog. For more information on having conversations like this, check out 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter and 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Son by Vicki Courtney.
Jana Magruder is wife to Michael, mom of one preteen girl and two growing little boys. She is the Director of Lifeway Kids and loves to ideate, write, create, and teach biblical content to children of all ages. She and her family are Texas transplants who now call Nashville home.
