Teaching Kids to Wear Conservative Clothes

Dressing for School

• One reason you might want your children to dress conservatively is because clothing can be a distraction in school. Explain to your kids that school is primarily a place for learning, and by dressing appropriately, they will help create a respectful learning environment. When children's clothing draws attention away from teachers or assignments, they are less likely to absorb new concepts, which can lead to poor grades and lower achievement. Teach your children to avoid accessories they'll fiddle with or outfits that might encourage others to stare. This can be more difficult if the school has no dress code. "If the school doesn̵7;t require a certain length for shorts, it̵7;s left to parents to decide whether, and how, to ensure that their children leave the house dressed for school, not for a beach party," explains KJ Dell'Antonia in the New York Times article "Teenage Dress Codes: Easier Said Than Done."

Dressing for First Impressions

• Teach your children the importance of a first impression early on. A first impression is the opinion someone forms of you after first exposure. First impressions will be especially important at future events such as job interviews. Show your children how to dress for particular occasions by being a good role model. Explain that when heading to school, children should not dress as if they just rolled out of bed, and when attending a religious ceremony, they should not dress like they're headed for the mall. Even young people should consider the impression they want to make when out in public. How do they want to be seen by their teachers, their neighbors or their friends' parents?

Dressing for Safety

• The way a child dresses can sometimes lead to unwanted and potentially dangerous attention, particularly for young girls who dress too sexy for their age. Unfortunately, the media can negatively influence a teen girl's fashion choices, swaying her toward more revealing clothing. Pop stars are common role models and their magazine pictures often advertise more revealing clothing. In fact, the media can be be a problem even before the teen years. "Some say younger girls are going shorter and barer -- taking their cues from characters like the Cheetah Girls, the Pussycat Dolls and the Bratz dolls," according to an ABC News article titled "Are Young Girls Dressing Too Revealingly?" Teen boys and even older men may be attracted to a young girl's provocative clothing, and she may find herself in an uncomfortable or harmful situation.

Dressing for Success

• The good news is, parents can help their children make smart clothing choices. Help your kids pick out conservative and age-appropriate outfits. Peruse magazines and clothing catalogs together from stores you find fit. Shop with your kids and guide them in choosing what to wear and how to know when an outfit is not acceptable for a particular occasion. Since clothing is a powerful form of self-expression, allow your children to wear pieces they enjoy when and where appropriate. Teach them how to know the difference. In the article "A Parent's Guide to Surviving the Teen Years," KidsHealth reminds us that peers often become more important to teens than their parents when it comes to making decisions. Try to be understanding and compromise.