Dear Mom,

Good for you! Teaching children modesty is critical to healthy self-esteem and many parents don’t understand this.

Helping your daughter learn to love her body enough to keep it private is extremely important. Modesty, in fact, is a natural means of self-preservation and our culture crushes it. When that happens, children are harmed in a multitude of ways.

Many think modesty comes from being ashamed of the body but in fact, healthy modesty shows the opposite – that one is proud and respectful of their body.

Here’s what you can do.

First, tell your daughter that her body is very beautiful and special. Then tell her that because God made it special and beautiful, that some parts of it are private.

This will make her feel good because intuitively she knows this. Tell her that it is important to wear a bathing suit to cover her body not because something is wrong with it but because it is so beautiful that it deserves protection and privacy.

She is too young to understand that men or boys will look at her in a sexual manner so don’t talk about this. Simply tell her that in your family all of you…