by I’ve already posted in the past that I’m against bikinis on toddlers (or anyone else for that matter). Why put them in something for ease and cuteness only to take it away in a couple years when it “becomes immodest”?
A friend of mine recently sent me a link to some modest swimwear she is sewing for her girls–take a peek, they are SO adorable. In the same email, she mentioned that they’ve decided against going to public pools anymore.
To be honest, if I had little boys, I’d probably be more aware/conscientious of what their little eyes were taking in at the pool. Am I being naive to think that as long as *we* are modest, my girls won’t be affected by what they see?
We love swimming. A visit to the pool isn’t that necessary, as we have our own 3’x12′ inflatable in the front yard. But our nearby town has an acquatic center with huge slides and a lazy river for tubing. And I’m a water fanatic…LOVE water parks! (It’s the west coast in me…smile)
So I’m curious as to you all’s opinion on this. Tell me what you really think. Btw, the modest swimwear I linked to is bathroom accessible (winking at those of you with girl toddlers!).
I’m not sure when little boys eyes start to notice the difference between boys and girls and when it moves from “it’s different” to “I like/lust that”. I know there is a point, and it’s probably different for each individual.
That being said, I think there’s a difference between the beach and a water park, but I don’t know how big. At least at a water park people are not just laying around (for the most part) getting sun.
And certainly boys are more prone to a lustful stare than girls are. That being said, we have to be careful what we wear. And I don’t know how effect girls are at seeing other girls with less clothing (will they want to do the same) or men with skimpy bathing suits (will they think sexual thoughts)?
So far, my girls do comment negatively about immodest clothing…but only to me. We’ve covered the “judgemental” attitude. I’d hate for my daughters to point out to someone, especially someone older than them, that they are wrong for wearing such and such.
I think it is a fabulous idea!! I hope this idea really takes off! I know I am quite ashamed of my body and I shutter at wearing a bathing suit, although mine comes with a skirt, hee.
I love the greens and pinks, and they look very comfy, maybe comfy enough just to wear around the house!
yes I”m with you on this issue, I think little girls need to look like modest little girls and swimwear that is too revealing isn’t acceptable. It’s one of the reasons why children are growing up quicker than they should. We spend alot of time at the beach and at our local pool in the summer too and my daughter like me has a rash suit which here in nz is a sunproof top and board shorts to go with it.
There are two issues here: what should we wear, and where should we go. We solved the first similar to the website you linked to. The second is a little harder. We stay away from “park” places altogether–no amusement parks/water parks/weekend carnivals, etc. We take in the occasional county fair, but only during the morning and early afternoon. We don’t want to expose ourselves or our children to the worldly, carnal, lustful (not just sexual), “Vanity Fair” environment.
Where to go swimming? First, stay home and make your own fun. If you have a hill, you can make your own water slide with a roll of heavy-duty plastic, a hose, and some dish detergent. Run the sprinkler for the little ones. Have a water fight with empty dish detergent bottles filled with water. Etc, etc, etc.
Second, go to the beach when it’s not heavily populated–after supper or early in the week. If you home school, go when other kids are in school.
Yes, I think girls can be affected negatively by what they see. “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me” (Psalm 101:3) applies to both sexes.
Pearl
I know that at my University they had seperate times at the pools to combat lust. They also joked about “beach evangelism.” There is a strong attraction to seeing the opposite sex in attire that is sexual. To be prefectly blunt, I wonder about the difference between seeing some people in their underwear versus their swim attire (exception duly noted for the site you linked to).
That being the case, would I let my daughters or sons be in a place to see someone in their underwear parading around? I would have to be extremely careful if I did.
Hum…I’m debated on whether or not to comment because my opinions differ from those listed here. We have a season pass to the water park and my boys (6, 9, 12) are too busy having fun to notice the people around them. I buy my four year old daughter bikinis (she has one pieces as well), but this is the first year she refused to wear them, though I did get her to wear a tankini. How’s that for inbred modesty?
I can see and understand everyone’s point, and I’m sure I’ll be there in a couple of years, but I’m not so hung up about it at the pool, yet.
One thing I’ve noticed though is it’s not necessarily how much clothes you DON’T wear that draws attention, but how much you DO wear. I tend to stare at the Muslim(?) girls who wear leggins and t-shirts at the pool which definitely cling and show off their shapes. I think they draw unwanted attention and would be better off with a stylish modern skirted bathingsuit.
While I appreciate the bathing suits on the site, for the older girls I think if they were in public it would draw unwanted attention. That’s just my 2 cents.
Just wanted to add that as I skimmed the testimonials on the modest website section, I was definitely warming up to the idea! I think the suits looks adorable for a beach or outside setting. And I’m sure my little girl would LOVE swimming in a “dress”.
My biggest question is does the skirt flip up/ride up/ float up when you swim? It just looks like it would get in the way.
I totally see both points of view. We try to be big on modesty in our home, but my 14 year-old and I don’t always agree on what modesty is. Now that she’s in public school she notices more and more what isn’t appropriate, and it’s opened up tons of discussion for us. Like Gina, we settled on a tankini at the pool. When she went on a trip with her youth group this summer, they didn’t even allow tankinis OR uncovered one-pieces. THey were required to have a one-piece, covered by a T-shirt. The whole debate makes me wish we had our own pool:)
First to Gina, no the skirt does not float up at all. I thought the same thing but the material they sell is VERY heavy duty. Mary commented that it may be hard to sew with (regular swimming suit nylon is a BEAR) but it was very simple. And I think that is why it doesn’t float like a regular one might.
And it’s darling. The friend who told me about them has a 13 year old daughter who wears one. It’s flower, it’s feminine, it’s modest and first of all she’s not the type to CARE if she gets extra stares or even comments about being od d(it’s so refreshing, she’s an incredible young lady!).
As for not public swimming, my oldest daughter in particular notices things. May be drawn to the more stylish if I am honest about it. And I am reaping what sowed earlier in her life and wish I had been more modest-minded early on. So to take her publicly where young, young girls are parading around half dressed is only inviting trouble fo rher. We stay around like-minded folk, who have swimming pools in their yards and whose young men also wear swimming shirts. AS someone mentoined, I would not hav emy young children running around with other children in their underwear, so why do it in something that resembles that?
Let me tell, ya, I’ve come a long way!
As of right now my hubby and I do not go to the local swimming pool, but because it costs too much ($8.00 a person). I don’t care for amusement parks because I don’t like to waite in lines and I can’t take the heat. So we seem to avoid looking a half naked bodies even if its not for that purpose. The only time we swim is if we are staying over night at a hotel with a swimming pool. We wait until late when there won’t be any kids in the pool. I have a one piece bathing suit and I wear a t-shirt and shorts over that.
If we had children, we would just get our own pool. When I was a kid, I loved those small plastic pools. Theres no way we would put our daughter in a bikini.
We had a decent sized plastic pool this year, but it didn’t last very long. The boys, as young as they are, couldn’t wait to put on snow suits (swim suits in their language) to get in there and would sometimes end up in there with all of their clothes on (diaper and all). It’s definitely fun times.
Now if I could just get them to stop taking the water baloons and throwing them on the ground and get them to throw them at each other!
Great comments! And I’m so glad to have the various kinds of feedback. Jana, thanks so much for popping in and giving us the low-down on the suits! And Pearl, I love the water-slide downhill idea! We have just the perfect hill! And what great shape we’d get in trudging back up each time! Ha.
I found all of your reasons for not going to the pool anymore to be great ones…especially the “underwear” analogy. Sigh. I’m the one that needs prayer in this area as I’d miss it (public water parks) even more than my girls, I’m sure.
Small price though, if you look at the potential cost in regards to my girls’ purity.
Let the water balloons fly, and bless you all for coming on here and sharing honestly with me!
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