Friday, January 23, 2015

On Modesty

This is what I want my daughters to know about modesty:

Be modest because of your relationship with God. If you feel you are respecting your body with the way you are dressed and the way you are moving your body, hooray! You're on the right course. You will feel it, and feel free to listen to those feelings. 

Every person determines what is modest for themselves. That means you get to determine for yourself, too. Awesome! Be wise. Be kind. Don't judge yourself harshly. And for the love of all things good, don't judge others harshly. They might not understand the things you understand.

Your body is AMAZING! It is an incredible machine that gives you the ability to do many things. Don't be down on your body. Be kind to it. Embrace it's unique shape. Understand that if you have the amazing gift of giving birth, your body will change and that is awesome, too. Embrace that. Just love this thing and take care of it!

Society will tell you that you have to dress a certain way or look a certain way. Tell them to shove it where the sun don't shine. My girls know better then that.

History will tell you that society would teach a woman her body is evil because men have sometimes used it as an excuse for their own sinful behavior. Please. Your body is NOTHING to be ashamed of. As previously mentioned, it is AWESOME! Love the unique look that is yours as a woman. It is not evil. It is made in the image of your Father in Heaven, so I'm pretty sure that means it is glorious. So don't listen to that load of poo. There is nothing about a woman's body that should ever cause you shame. Love the soft and feminine that is you. Being a woman rocks.

Some people might try to tell you that you are somehow responsible for men's thoughts. That is the biggest pile of "make Mom mad" ever. Don't dress in a self-respecting way because you're responsible for someone else's thoughts -- that's what they have agency for. Dress in a  self-respecting way because you have self respect. Dress in a self-respecting way because you love God and want to honor the gift He gave you. And also, it doesn't hurt to be your brother's keeper and acknowledge that yeah, it helps guys when you dress nice, so that's a pretty nice thing to do. But don't do it for them! Phewy. Do it for you. You, my sweet daughter. How I love you!


This is what I want my sons to know about modesty:

Be modest because of your relationship with God. If you feel you are respecting your body with the way you are dressed and the way you are moving your body, hooray! You're on the right course. You will feel it, and feel free to listen to those feelings. 

Every person determines what is modest for themselves. That means you get to determine for yourself, too. Awesome! Be wise. Be kind. Don't judge yourself harshly. And for the love of all things good, don't judge others harshly. They might not understand the things you understand.

Your body is AMAZING! It is an incredible machine that gives you the ability to do many things. Don't be down on your body. Be kind to it. Embrace it's unique shape. Understand that you must use your strength wisely. Always for good and never for evil. Never to coerce or to force, only to uplift and build. Your body will ebb and flow, be gentle with yourself and with others. Love that thing and take good care of it!

Society will tell you that you have to dress a certain way or look a certain way. Tell them to shove it where the sun don't shine. My boys know better then that! Society will tell you that girls have to look a certain way, or should be looked at just for their bodies. Pa-chaw! Fight that idea like a lion. My sons are smarter then that.

History will tell you that society would teach a woman her body is evil because men have sometimes used it as an excuse for their own sinful behavior. Please. You know that is a lie! You know you are accountable for yourself!  Love the unique look that is a woman, and love the unique look you have as a man. There is nothing shameful about our bodies -- don't listen to that load of poo. RESPECT the soft and the feminine, as you would hope you would be respected for the masculine that is in you.

Some people might try to tell you that women are somehow responsible for men's thoughts. That is the biggest pile of "make Mom mad" ever. Be bigger then that. Take responsibility for yourself! Be the ultimate gentleman. Look at a woman as the whole person she is. I know you will! Dress in a self-respecting way because you respect yourself, because you love God and want to honor the gift He gave you. How I love you!


What I want my kids to know:
You are the master of your own fate. You are the captain of your own soul. God sent you here with your agency. Use it! Use it to honor womanhood and to honor manhood, to look not just on the outward appearance, but on the heart. 

1 comment:

Tara said...

Awesome post. Thanks for sharing.