As we look at our little ones, babies, toddlers, teens, we think of all the hopes we have for them and what their futures hold. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, some of our major goals for our children usually involve full-time missionary work and temple ordinances. Though this may be true, what we sometimes see at church tells a whole different story.
I often find myself surprised as I walk through the halls of our buildings at how many little girls and babies I see wearing tank topped dresses, boys wearing a wide array of colored shirts, teenage girls wearing capped sleeved shirts, and long hair on teenage boys. We desire the blessings of missions and temples for our children and yet we fail to realize that we need to help them practice. When Matt and I were sealed in the temple last year, for the first time in my life I found out that cap sleeves just don't cut it. They are not, what I like to refer to as, "temple modest." I had No idea before and wholeheartedly believed that my wardrobe was modest. Yet there I was, stuck with only five t-shirts to wear until I could buy new full* sleeved shirts (Luckily shortly thereafter I was able to start wearing my maternity shirts which already had full* sleeves).
I would like to issue a challenge to the moms with missions and temples, or even just modesty and cleanliness in general, in their dreams for their children's futures.
1. We need to put full* sleeves on our daughters, yes, even our newborns. The younger we start this habit the less they will fight us on it when they are older. We need to teach our daughters to protect their sacred bodies from the eyes of anyone but their husband. They are not responsible for the thoughts of others, but they are responsible for their own modesty and the blessings that come from it.
2. We need to make sure our daughters are not showing any cleavage at any time. We need to make sure that even if they bend over, no cleavage is showing. Our bodies are sacred. They are not to be shown off to anyone looking.
3. We need to dress our boys in white shirts for church. This may sound odd to some, but boys who want to go on missions should look like missionaries. This is especially true while they are passing the Sacrament. Again, the younger we start this habit, the less they will fight us on it. It is called "Sunday Best" for a reason.
I would like to issue a challenge to the moms with missions and temples, or even just modesty and cleanliness in general, in their dreams for their children's futures.
1. We need to put full* sleeves on our daughters, yes, even our newborns. The younger we start this habit the less they will fight us on it when they are older. We need to teach our daughters to protect their sacred bodies from the eyes of anyone but their husband. They are not responsible for the thoughts of others, but they are responsible for their own modesty and the blessings that come from it.
2. We need to make sure our daughters are not showing any cleavage at any time. We need to make sure that even if they bend over, no cleavage is showing. Our bodies are sacred. They are not to be shown off to anyone looking.
3. We need to dress our boys in white shirts for church. This may sound odd to some, but boys who want to go on missions should look like missionaries. This is especially true while they are passing the Sacrament. Again, the younger we start this habit, the less they will fight us on it. It is called "Sunday Best" for a reason.
4. We need to keep our boys' hair clean cut. I'm not saying they need to forever sport the missionary cut, but they should at least have it short enough that when the day comes and they are preparing to leave, they aren't in total shock when it is cut off.
And finally...
5. We need to teach our boys to keep their shirts on, even while lounging around the house. This way they won't miss taking them off after they have gone through the temple.
We all want the best for our kids and when temples and missions are what that is, there is nothing better we could do for them than to help them practice the standards that will be expected in these things. So my challenge to myself and to others who share my goals is this, don't just teach them to be modest, teach them to be temple modest and mission ready.
On a final note, if you moms have not yet entered the temple and would like to practice these standards yourself, I cannot recommend a company more for shirts than ModBod. Their cap sleeve shirts make wonderful undershirts and they have a wide array of full* sleeve, three-quarter sleeve, and long sleeve shirts to choose from.
5. We need to teach our boys to keep their shirts on, even while lounging around the house. This way they won't miss taking them off after they have gone through the temple.
We all want the best for our kids and when temples and missions are what that is, there is nothing better we could do for them than to help them practice the standards that will be expected in these things. So my challenge to myself and to others who share my goals is this, don't just teach them to be modest, teach them to be temple modest and mission ready.
On a final note, if you moms have not yet entered the temple and would like to practice these standards yourself, I cannot recommend a company more for shirts than ModBod. Their cap sleeve shirts make wonderful undershirts and they have a wide array of full* sleeve, three-quarter sleeve, and long sleeve shirts to choose from.
*When I say "full" I do not mean long sleeve, I'm talking about a regular sleeve, shorter than three-quarter and longer than cap