responsibility and the right to teach sacred things

"Modesty is an attitude of propriety and decency in dress, grooming, language, and behavior. If we are modest, we do not draw undue attention to ourselves." (Gospel Topics, LDS.org)

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Modesty and what it means has been a topic of interest to me nearly all my life. As a child in Phoenix, other girls my age ran around with not top on or even just their panties. Not me. Even at 3 or 4, I didn't feel comfortable being uncovered. It was hinted that I was odd for this behavior, but I wouldn't give in. Fast forward...

I'm confused about the sexualizing of clothing for little girls. Mere babies dressed similar to streetwalkers with bare midriffs and hip-hugging tight jeans perplex me. What messages are today's mothers trying to send? Maybe they are innocent of any intentionally buying into worldly values for their daughters.

I had no trouble embracing a conservative attitude concerning modesty in dress and grooming by asking myself the question, "How would I feel if Christ saw me right now." I did however not equate my language and behavior as modesty issues. I never really asked, "What would Jesus think of my language and behavior." At least I didn't in connection to this issue.

Unkindness, vulgarity, meanness, and harshness go against modesty in language and behavior. As women, we need to throw off the chains of the feminist movement and embrace gentleness, tenderness, meekness, and love. We have lost a great deal in striving to be "equal" to men. In reality, we always were equal--we simply had different responsibilities. Recently, I read, "Women today resemble men with breasts." While I have no desire to return to primitive conditions of eras past, I do want to embrace the modest ways of Godly women that have been long sneered at in Western Society. I want to speak softly, dress for beauty and grace instead of comfort, and attain an attitude of serenity and peace.

"Like our dress and grooming, our language and behavior are expressions of our character. Our words and actions can have a profound influence on us and on others. We should express ourselves through clean, positive, uplifting language and in actions that bring happiness to those around us. Our efforts to be modest in word and deed lead to increased guidance and comfort from the Holy Ghost." (Modesty, LDS.org)

“The responsibility and the right to teach these sacred [things] rest with the parents in the home. I do not believe that it is the responsibility of the public schools, nor is it the responsibility of the organizations of the Church. The contribution of the Church in this respect is to teach parents the standards of morality that the Lord has revealed and to assist them in their responsibility of teaching these sacred subjects to their children.” (Boyd K. Packer, Teach Ye Diligently [1975], 256).

"The father [and mother] is the protector of the home. He guards it against the intrusion of evil from without. Formerly, he protected his home with weapons and shuttered windows. Today the task is more complex. Barred doors and windows protect only against [physical things]. It is not an easy thing to protect one’s family against intrusions of evil into the minds and spirits of family members. These things can and do flow freely into the home. [Satan is very clever.] He need not break down the door.” (A Theodore Tuttle, Ensign, Jan. 1974, 67)