Generation Clean

One summer day I was sitting on the back porch with my then toddler son. He was standing next to a large empty hammock and was pushing it back and forth. The momentum was increasing and I was worried that it would eventually come back too fast and knock him over. I said to him, “be careful sweetie.” He continued to push the hammock. I said to him again with more concern, “be careful!” He looked at me with a puzzled face and asked, “What is careful?” I realized that I had not made it clear what I really wanted. I had not talked to him about what was worrying me. My saying, “be careful” meant nothing to him. I think about this a lot when I find myself speaking in generalities and admonishing my kids to “be careful” online, or “be good.” Being specific is an essential part of teaching children how to analyze a situation and make a decision on what they should do about it. We need to teach them what it means to be careful, good, or bad.  The ultimate goal is to teach our c...

When I was a little girl I was uncomfortable with the word “woman.” I didn’t want to say it. I would substitute, “lady” or “girl” whenever I could. I felt the same way about the word “purse,” and tried to avoid that word as well. Maybe it was because I didn’t want to grow up. Maybe I wanted to be little and without the responsibilities that all women with purses have. I didn’t have an explanation. I just did not want to be called a woman or carry a purse.   I am over that feeling now. I am in the final year of my thirties and have a son that will be an adult in less than two years, so it’s time. However, when several months ago I started to feel a strong pull toward writing about womanhood, I felt an opposing pull telling me not to. Being the mother of a teenage girl and boy I find myself constantly running into issues related to this topic of womanhood. There has been a lot of discussion about modesty, controlling thoughts, body image, and feminism amo...

Inspired by this article by Pat Archbold, I created the image above. I agree with the general theme of what he says. It is true that the "pretty" (a calm, innocent beauty) of women has been replaced for the most part by the agitated gaunt look of  "hot." And a hearty "Amen" to the part of the article about how disappointing it was to see Olivia Newton John's character in Grease throw away her prettiness to become hot and attract a guy. I have never understood why that movie was so popular for mothers to show their daughters. Maybe because the music is catchy? I hope that my daughters will understand that when they live a good life it shows in their faces, and that is what makes them pretty. It's not the makeup, outfits, or hairdos that do it, beauty grows from the inside out. That brings me to a favorite quote by my sister Erica: "It's more important to be nice, than pretty." Ooh, I need to make another artsy quote of that ...

I'm always on the lookout for fashionable, modest clothing. I came across this company Diviine Modestee and they have some really great things. I have not bought or been given any of their clothing, but if the quality is as good as it seems, I would shop here. Below are my favorites from each of their three sites. DiviineModestee : Tees and Camisoles. The Ruched Satin V-neck Tee is my pick on this site. I really like how the ribbon and the ruched high v-neck, dress up the shirt and make it more stylish and figure flattering. It also would help keep you covered without the tugging that can come with some lower cut tops. DivinitaSole.com : Swimwear. You can design your own swimsuit by scrolling through their tops, bottoms, and skirts. The tops are nice and long, the bottoms are flattering with good coverage, and the skirts help hide my flaws. I love being able to mix and match because I rarely find a one piece suit that works well on both the top and bottom. My favor...

Let's face it. Nobody really looks forward to "the talk" with their children. It can be uncomfortable for both of you, and we worry that what we say will be positive and informative, without adding more ideas and questions to our young child's head. Along with the growing up information, and a discussion of appropriate intimacy, we should also talk about the importance of modesty in dress and speech and about morality. I have always thought that these topics covered just about everything, but there is another issue that we should discuss. President Thomas S. Monson said this in 2002: "When I consider the demons who are twins - even immodesty and immorality - I should make them triplets and include pornography . They all three go together." Pornography is sneaky. It's not as obvious as immodesty and immorality. It can be hidden for a longer period of time. Many people don't see the harm in it saying it's just pictures and it doesn't hurt any...

Today is the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. I haven't heard much about it before today, but it is a celebrated holiday around the world. "The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother's Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers. ( internationalwomensday.com )" I'm mentioning it because it seems relevant after reading an article my cousin sent to me from CatholicMatch.com . This article addresses the importance of modesty for women. It quotes another article by Viviana Garcia that was quite compelling. Ms. Garcia writes of a lecture she attended by Dr. Pia de Solenni whose topic was The Quest for Identity Through Beauty . The following quote states so well what I have long believed: It is... of supreme necessity, especially in the world in which we reside, that a woman do everything wi...

One-piece enough for Miss Idaho : Kylie Kofoed, Miss Idaho 2010 and a 19-year-old BYU sophomore, made a choice that set her apart in the beauty pageant industry: wearing a one-piece swimsuit in the recent Miss America Pageant. Kylie Kofoed chose to be the only contestant to wear a one-piece swimsuit for the competition. I'm grateful for her brave example to young women. I love how she says in her interview with The Daily Universe that holding to your standards gains the respect of others: Being under the microscope, Kofoed said she wanted to emphasize to people everywhere the importance of holding fast to values and beliefs which they know to be true even in the heat of the moment. “LDS or not, it’s not worth compromising your standards,” she said. “People will respect you for not conforming to the world. Just be yourself.”

Now would be a great time to get some modest swimwear! I know it's January, but hear me out. We all know it's hard to find modest swimwear in the stores, and that means that unless teenagers want the same swim suits their grandmas wear, they will be looking for more stylish ones. There's a great sale going on for the next two days at Lime Ricki . This cute suit is normally $60.00 and is now just $25.00.

You can let all of your tweens and teens watch this music video by Jonna Christensen . It has a fantastic message about the beauty of modesty! Rating: Squeaky