We've already had several days with 80 degree temperatures, so the short sleeves have come out of their boxes to replace the warmer clothes we donned during the winter months. The other day, I had on a sleeveless dress and my daughter said, "Mommy, your arms are naked." I couldn't deny it. What she said was true, although she made it sound worse than reality. Children learn early on, however, that clothes must be worn to go out in public. And that when clothes aren't covering a certain part, it is naked. Several times, I've had to shush my children for pointing to someone and declaring him naked -- he was walking down the street with no shirt on. It's our job to help them understand the difference between what's okay and what's not okay. My daughter is four. She's long and skinny, like her daddy. It's hard to find pants or shorts long enough to cover the length of her legs. It's hard to find a dress that comes down far enough for her daddy to be comfortable with her wearing it. My sister and I were talking recently about when we should no longer let our daughters wear things like spaghetti straps. After all, if it was okay to wear a dress like that last year, why is it suddenly wrong this year? In reality, the issue with spaghetti straps probably won't come until they're old enough to need a bra, but if we wait until that point, they'll be so used to wearing such things, that it won't make sense to suddenly stop. If we do it now, then, when we get to a point where their bodies are more woman than girl, we'll have already instilled in them the truth that God made their beautiful bodies in His image, and that they need to treat themselves like it. My Mama used to say, "leave something to the imagination." Even though I write contemporary stories, I love to read the historical ones. Back in "the olden days," according to the romance novels, shoulders were quite provocative. And don't even get me started on an ankle. Nothing has really changed. If shoulders were no longer considered sexy, there wouldn't be shirts on the market that exposed them. Each woman has to decide where to draw the line of how much she exposes. And each mama has to help her daughter make wise choices about the same. Let's all just remember that we're God's daughters and whatever we do or wear needs to reflect His glory.
All you mamas out there, are you fighting clothing battles yet? What's the craziest thing you've discovered along this journey? Any tips for those of us still in the early years?
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This is a place for me to share thoughts and ideas not just related to writing. Thoughts about what's going on in my life, about an idea I got that I thought shareworthy, or just a funny anecdote.
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