Since my oldest DD was born, I've used the same rule of thumb in dressing her. I don't put anything on her that I wouldn't allow her to wear when she's 14. In other words, I'm dressing her as modestly as I expect her to dress when she's a teenager.

I do this because I have a friend with a preteen daughter who doesn't understand why she can no longer wear certain types of outfits. I'm hoping that by dressing my girls this way from day 1, it'll just be the way they dress when they're older. I'm hoping my actions now will eliminate battles in the future, lol.

I just got a bunch of hand-me-downs from another mom at church that I would never dream of letting my child wear. Tight clothes, SHORT skirts, etc. Nothing that would look terribly immodest on a 2 yo, but nothing I want her to get in the habit of wearing. Because if my daughter ever walked out of her bedroom in a pair of low rise jeans (weird, but they make them for toddlers!) with a crop top, I'd be marching her right back into her room :lol:.

Seriously, though, am I being prudish?

I don't think you are.

I've been looking at clothes and am appalled for what they are producing for children these days. And not just the modesty factor either. All those sayings on the t-shirts about things that are soooo inappropriate, IMO. I will not let my daughter(s) ever go out in immodest clothing, no matter their age. Nor, will I let them wear clothes with mesages on them saying stuff like diva, princess and those sayings about looking for boys. Nor will our future sons ever have clothes with sayings on them about being chick magnets, things destroying their homework, how they have an excuse for such and such bad behavior. It is appalling to see this stuff available and so widely popular for children.

I don't think you are being a prude. I think you are being wise in this thought process.

I totally agree.

The way society allows children to dress - especially girls - is horrible.

Someone gave us a swimsuit as a baby gift. It's a toddler's suit, but it's 2 piece. I was appalled, I didn't even know they MADE swimsuits like that for children. I wouldn't wear a bikini (except in private for my DH, like in a private hot tub), so why would I let my daughter wear one in public when she's a toddler? I'm half surprised the chest wasn't padded in this swimsuit!

i often was angry at my mom for making me dress modest, because i wanted sooo badly to fit in with the cute short skirts etc. when i was a teen, but looking back I see she was a very wise woman and I'm turning into her LOL

Nope, I completely agree with your line of logic ;) And follow the same

Nope, i do the same with my dd. :D Keep it up mama! [thumbsup]

Good for you! Our dd is almost 3 and I dress her like I want her to dress later on too. However I don't think it will eliminate the battles :lol: , but at least you have a consistent record to back up what you say! :wink:

I applaud your effort. I am glad to hear that more mothers have done this. It is wonderful, I believe.

Seriously, though, am I being prudish?

Not at all. I think it will pay off for you. My dd is almost 20, buys her own clothes and I have found no reason to question her choices.

:shock: They have low-rise jeans for toddlers??!!!??? This is unbelievable.

ITA! We do the same thing here. My girls are 7 and 10 and don't even ask to wear things like mini skirts, cropped shirts, or skinny strap tanks. Finding higher rise pants has been a challenge. I just make sure the girls shirts are long enough to tuck in.

I think it's important to discuss with our children why we dress in a modest way. I don't want the girls to think their bodies are something to be ashamed of. We are just starting to introduce the idea that sometimes as boys get older, seeing girl body parts can "make their head spin" and cause distraction and possibly be a stumbling block. We are also just starting to talk about saving ourselves and our bodies for our husbands. And my husband is constantly telling our girls how precious and beautiful they are on the inside and outside.

I think we have to be careful when we tell our children to dress modestly "just because". I really don't like to tell my children to do anything "just because" if I can help it. Sometimes I slip out a "just because" here and there.

I guess my thing is, I know what can happen. My cousin, who is not a Christian, buys her daughter clothes that would barely cover my 2yo (and she's 15!) because "it looks cute on her". Ugh! I'm sure there are a lot of boys around the neighborhood who think so, too.

I think I'm going to try to emphasize to my girls that they don't need the kind of attention that certain types of clothes will get them. When they're older, of course. While they're growing up, I'm just going to keep emphasizing what beautiful people they are in a way that has nothing to do with looks.

On my cousin's daughter's 15th birthday, I offered to take her shopping with (I think) $50. She's got to think I'm such a stick-in-the-mud, too, lol, because she was gazing longingly at the lingerie-type shirts, the ones that look like bras. I refused to buy them, didn't even let her ask. She was looking at them, and I played dumb. "Hey, look at those shirts over there! Aren't they cute? Let's see how one looks on you!" I felt mean, but no way was my gift to her going to be what I refer to as hooker-wear. [whatcrazy]