Do you think it's important to teach modesty to girls when they are young, or wait until they are older?

Question

This question is directed to those who value modesty as a virtue.

Do you think parents should begin teaching modesty at a young age(4,5,6...). Or wait until they are older? By teaching modesty, I mean not doing flips in the yard with a dress on, changing clothes privately instead of around other people (moms and dads excluded, of course)...ect.

Or do you think little girl doesn't have to worry about such ,matters.

I believe we should begin at an early age to instill modesty in our girls. I think waiting until she is older sends mixed signals and sets her up for wondering why her parents changed her rules all of a sudden.

What do you think?

As I said, this question isn't directed to those who don't think modesty is important. Obviously those people would disagree with my opinion. I am only interested in the opinions of those who value modesty in the first place.

Answer 1

Yes, it is important. I plan on teaching mine when she gets older (8 months). If you start when they are young you will have less problems then they are older.

Answer 2

Well, it absolutely must be the same for girls and boys.  Both have private parts.  It's just that, for some reason, we dress little girls in outfits that easily expose their underwear.

If the flips become a problem, I would say that pants or shorts are for every day and dresses are for certain "dress up" occasions.  I would definitely not discourage flips.

I would start fairly young encouraging some degree of modesty.  Maybe three or four.  I wouldn't make a big deal out of it, but I would explain that people don't like to see other people's underwear or nakedness unless it is a Mom or Dad helping a kid get dressed.  They will ask "Why?" of course, and there is no excellent answer.  I would just say, "Grown ups just have funny rules sometimes."  They will understand when they are older.

Answer 3

You begin teaching a girl modesty as soon as she can understand what you are telling her.  You don't want her to turn into a prude or be so uptight that she can't enjoy life, but teaching her to be a proper, modest lady is perfectly okay.  Today, it appears that a lot of young girls missed modesty training when they were little.  The clothes, manners and foul language of todays young girls, and young people in general, is awful!

Answer 4

We taught our kids to be modest right from the start. People would tell me "relax, they are young what's the big deal" - that always bothers me - if something is immodest, it's immodest - it's not like you'll be able to tell your child once they reach a certain age - "okay, all that stuff you've been wearing is now inappropriate - we have to change everything" - It's best to teach them right from the start.

Answer 5

i think modesty should be taught from the beginning. i think its most important for us to keep in mind that our kids are going to learn most from the way we act. as a soon to be mommy, my intentions are to set a good example for my daughter in every way that i can. modesty included.  i totally agree with you about sending mixxed signals.

i just laughed at myself because im talking about the importance of modesty, with a picture of my naked belly right nest to the answer. lol. i really do believe that the kids learn most from our examples.

Answer 6

hi im a 14 year old girl and i just chose to be modest and have a purity ring.my parents never said a word about it.i think that you should teach modesty to girls when they are young because then they will always have one message from their parents and noone will change the rules all of a sudden.thats my answer.

Answer 7

Teach them from the cradle because once they hit puberty it is too late.They will want to show their bodies off to "make that boy notice them" so he will "want them" because if she can "make him want her",she will be able to "make him love her".She then ends up being used for s*x, getting pregnant dumped and becoming a professional welfare mom.

Answer 8

Yes I agree with you! Teaching modesty at a young age is very wise. The Bible says that if you teach your child something when they are young they will not stray from it when they grow up. Whether you believe in the Bible or not is your business but doesn't it make sense? Teach your child young and they will not stray from that idea when they grow up.

Answer 9

The Bible says train a child up in the way you would have them to go (behave) and when they are old they will not depart from it. I think this covers modesty too. I agree that it is very important in this world we live in now. Today you see girls and women of all ages with everything they have hanging out and I just think to myself Lord have mercy did they not have mother's? I hope this helps.

Answer 10

I am already teaching my daughter, who's 3, that we sit with our legs crossed when we wear dresses and skirts. If i get her ready for bed i, usually, take her into the bathroom or her bed room. My son is kind of hitting this stage himself. He's 4 and doesn't like getting dressed in front of people. I think it's more important to show this at an earlier age. Teaching them modesty and self respect should be up there with teaching them any other manners. I don't feel that, just because, society is different now that, that makes it different to show some skin and do things that may draw attention to you.

Answer 11

I completely agree with you.  If you wait until they are older, then suddenly tell them they have to start covering themselves up more, they wonder if something is wrong with their body, and may feel ashamed.  I have taught my children to be modest from day one...and have taught them that the reason we keep our bodies covered is because our body is something that is special and private just for us.  We show ourselves respect by being respectful in our appearance.