In today’s world, your teenager is bombarded with many different images. Celebrities dress provocatively, and fashions today leave little to the imagination. Even modern speech shows signs of being immodest. With all that is around your teenager, how can you instill modesty within your teenager? Here are some simple ideas to help you get started.
Modesty is Self Respect
One of the most important teachings that you can provide your teenager, in any sense is the idea of self-respect. Self respect stems from a firm foundation in faith, consistent parenting, and above all, allowing your teenager to discover who and what they are for themselves. If you can instill self respect in your teenager son or daughter, they will be less likely to follow the fashionable trends of the day, revealing more than what is needed.
Modesty doesn’t Equal Being Unfashionable
Teenagers learn best through example. The way you dress, and the way that their peers dress will greatly influence their choices. So it is up to you to show your teenagers that dressing modestly can be even more fashionable and stylish then revealing the majority of their skin. Try dressing in classic fashions, or the updated classics you see in many of the magazines. A well-dressed, modern father can be a great inspiration for any son.
In addition, look around you at your teenager’s friends or acquaintances. Odds are you will find examples of teenagers dressing modestly and still looking very stylish. Take the time to comment to your teenager about what you see, offering kind suggestions to him or her. Remember, though, modesty isn’t only about what your teenager wears on the outside. It is mostly about them realizing that they are special enough not to advertise what they have to the world.
Instill a Solid Foundation
As implied earlier, modesty in its truest form is about respect. Respect for others, respect for parents, but most importantly, respect for oneself. Therefore, instilling modesty in a teenager truly begins long before their teenage years.
It begins with the parent teaching, and treating everyone around the child with the respect deserving of being a human. By laying this foundation, your teenager will be open to the idea that they are worthy and precious in the eyes of God, and therefore should ask for respect from the world around them. They will soon learn that modesty is one of the easiest ways to do just that.
About CSAHM
This is such an important topic today. As a mom of a teenage girl, I don’t want her to see herself as something of so little value that she can just “put it out there” for anyone to “use” visually. I want her to see herself as something so precious that she dresses to communicate respect for herself, others, and God.
As a mom of a teenage boy, I so appreciate when his peer gals are thoughtful (and supervised) in their appearance. I think a lot of entertainment today portrays the “fun” of teasing boys visually, but few girls realize the power and potential of what they communicate with their appearance.
Vicki Courtney writes about a study of 6,500 adolescents that showed sexually active teenage girls are more than 3x as likely to be depressed and almost 3x as likely to have a suicide attempt than girls who are not sexually active. Modesty helps to set the perspective about a girl’s own body and to send the right messages about what she wants for her life.
Thanks for bringing up such an important topic.
Absolutely, Julie. It’s so difficult to raise girls these days, and I have two girls, and I remember how difficult it was to be a teenage girl.