Instilling Modesty in Children (Part 2)

The Negative Effects of Immodesty

There is a not-so-subtle campaign aimed at having young girls dress in short, revealing clothing. In fact, a trip to a department store will quickly remind us that modesty is not the number one priority when designing children's clothes. However, modesty is an essential foundation when it comes to raising children into believing Muslims. For the girls, adjusting into the expectations of Hijab is a much smoother transition if they have dressed modestly since childhood. We have witnessed the struggles many girls have when they go from wearing t-shirts and shorts to long sleeves and pants, and this can be easily avoided by encouraging modest clothing from a very young age.

Young boys need to also be taught and see through modeling the importance of modesty. Plenty of people have become fixated on the fact girls have Hijab and boys don't. This, however, is not true. Hijab is obligatory on both genders in Islam; however, it takes different forms for them. Society doesn't measure the worth of a man by his waistline or beauty like it does for a woman.

With young boys, it is important to teach them at a young age that their bodies also need to be properly, and that it is not respectful to wear skin-tight clothing or to take off their shirts off in front of others or in public places. Many young children go through a phase during preschool and kindergarten where they like to experiment with taking clothing off. It is important that adults understand but firm towards this phase.

Helpful Tips for Teaching Modesty

Parents, family members, and other adults in a child's life can make a huge impact on how a child views modesty. Some helpful advice for introducing and maintaining modesty in a family are:

· Set standards and stick to them. Children thrive on consistency and routine. If one day you don't allow your child to wear shorts because they are too short, and the next day you do, your child is going to think, "Mom and dad don't care, why should I?"

· Think Length: how short is too short? Many parents neglect to have their daughters wear leggings or tights under dresses or skirts that are too short. Establish with your daughters what length is too short and why tights or leggings are needed.

· Read the writing: these days there are shirts that say "smoking hot" or "too hot for you" marketed towards young girls. Similar products exist for young boys and teens that promote un-Islamic terms, profanity, or other behaviors that are inappropriate.

· Modest clothing can be hip, chic, and popular! With a little extra effort, nice modest clothing can be found or put together. There are many outlets specifically out there just to sell you modest clothing. Don't let some of the latest trends to discourage your family from adopting modesty for your children.

· Consider a simple question: do you want your children and family to embrace what society values or to embrace what Allah values?

Source: mmaaazan2.wix.com

Other links:

The Exalted position of Parents in Islam (Part 1)

The Exalted position of Parents in Islam (Part 2)