She Wears Skirts- Swimming

No, this isn't a post about the easy transition your favorite everyday skirt can make from doing chores around the house to taking a plunge in the pool : ) And this isn't going to be a post lining out exactly what to wear while swimming. That comes tomorrow as I'm guest posting on a different blog, and I've given lots of links and ideas as to what you could wear! I'll be sure to post the link here and you all can read it tomorrow. But this deals more with the actual issue of "To swim or not to swim?"

I received an email yesterday that made me stop and think about this all over again. A mom wrote to me and expressed how she is starting to dress in skirts all the time, and while she bought some modest swimwear she is concerned about the pool parties because of what other people might be wearing. That is certainly a valid concern, and one worthy of our consideration.

We mothers are jealous (or should be) about guarding our children's hearts and keeping them pure. I don't know about you, but the thought of sending my son to a pool party where there are girls swimming in bikinis or skimpy one piece suits is no where near to my idea of keeping his heart pure. Likewise, sending my daughter somewhere that has a group of young men swimming with their shirts off is quite out of the question.

So what do we do about swimming? For our family, we have chosen not to go to public pools or water parks. It is a sacrifice, but one we feel is necessary. Likewise, if we were invited to a pool party, we would probably not attend. A family from our church has done "men and boys only" pool party for a birthday event, and I've attended a "girls only" swimming party before where everyone was dressed modestly. We know two families who own swimming pools, and so we have been able to go swimming there as a family on occasion.

What do you do if you live by the beach? That is a hard decision to make. My grandparents lived in Florida, and every summer during my teenage years I would be there for a few weeks visiting. What we ended up doing was going to the beaches that were not so popular. They were not very crowded, so we were able to swim without a lot of people around us.

It's almost impossible in states like Florida to avoid scantily clad people. That's why it is so important to not just try to avoid situations that will place you around bikinis and such, but you must train your children to look away. I don't believe in sheltering our children so much from the world that when they finally see a glimpse of it that they cave in and all is lost. Your young men especially will see immodest ladies - jogging, biking, swimming, (shopping even!) etc. and while you can avoid the worst of it at water parks and public pools, the most important part of your job is to talk openly with your children about why it is not modest to dress that way, and how to respond when they see it. We had many such talks with our mother about it. She taught my sister and I that it was wrong to see a man without his shirt on and to look away when we did see it.

This is not something to be fearful of, or become paranoid about. It's just another area we need to be watchful, prayerful, and on guard for our children - and ourselves if we are honest.

Don't forget to go visit Raising Arrows today for a great post on Makeup, Jewelry and Hair written by Amy and I!