someone asked this question i believe a year ago. I still dont get it why do little girls have to wear shorts under dresses. Last year you guys convinced me and then this year i forget why.
So today emmy was sooooo excited to not wear stockings and just a dress and I mentioned shorts and she was going to ditch the dress she was so happy about, so i told her if she didnt want to wear shorts under dont. So she is in school (1st grade)without them, and i personally dont see an issue or atleast forget the issue
i realize her underwear could possibly be seen if she's jumping or running but so could it on adults and we dont wear shorts under dresses. plus whats the big deal if someone catches a glimpse of her underwear? Its not like at 6 they look much diferent then shorts anyway theyre not wearing things that reveal anything. all bits are covered..they dont call shorts underwear for a reason because they arent supposed to go under what you wear
ok so please remind me why its important to wear shorts again
It is important for young girls to wear shorts under their dresses or skirts for modesty. Children are not as mindful as adults of the positions they sit in, or the activities they participate in. I certainly don’t go hopping around or turning cartwheels or bending over wearing a dress, but my daughter would. I insist she wear shorts. Just little black bike shorts.
Maybe YOU don’t think it’s a big deal if someone sees your child’s underwear…but I do, and other people who SEE them might think it’s a big deal. It’s not just for YOUR child, but out of respect for others who may be more modest than you are.
**Again, I want to reiterate that it’s not just for you and your daughter. I fully believe that we ought not cause OTHERS to sin, and that’s where my viewpoint comes from. If a young boy were to see her underwear, his thoughts might go to a place that they wouldn’t have otherwise, and if you have the power to prevent this, then by all means. It’s the same reason why many cultures insist women dress a certain way. I’m not the hugest prude in the world, but I don’t want people seeing my child’s underwear when she’s 6.
If it has only been a year and you have already forgotten then it wasn’t that big of an epiphany. Seriously…don’t worry about it.
Girls usually wear shorts under their skirts or dresses if they plan to roll around playing, hang upside down on the monkey bars or have been teased by others saying “I can see your panties”.
My daughter is now 10 and still loves to wear dresses and skirts. She doesn’t wear shorts underneath. At recess she walks around chatting with friends, plays with jumpropes or blacktop games. She is not doing activities that make her skirt/dress go up.
If you aren’t worried and your daughter isn’t worried then don’t worry about what others are doing.
My daughter (she’s also 6) loves to hang upside down on the monkey bars. So she always wears shorts underneath. It’s totally her decision to do it too because she doesn’t want anyone seeing her undies and she wants to be able to climb and roll and jump.
Perhaps, I’m in the minority. I just don’t need everyone out there seeing my kid’s underwear. Not to mention, with kid’s being active, underwear does not always stay in place. I will never forget playing on the jungle gym at a park and my underwear catching and exposing my entire privates. Yeah, plenty of strangers saw that and it WAS awful. I don’t need my kid being exposed. Yeah, adults don’t wear shorts. They also don’t crawl on equipment, do cartwheels, wrestle, run, play sports…and all the other things girls do in dresses.
I think it’s just good practice. You can control very little, in reality. I would choose to control my daughter being exposed to dozens of people. Just my opinion. I mean really, you would WANT people to “catch a glimpse” of her underwear? You are just totally cool with that?
I remember my friend’s daughter being told in K to wear shorts and we were surprised. They were in K! What I don’t really get is how is it different than a bathing suit?.. But that applies to all of life. We can walk around in a bikini at a pool but never in a bra and underwear which really are the same amount of coverage. I think just one of those things…
Ok, after your SWH.. Let her just wear panties only under a dress.. .. You seem to be set on it.. so go for it.. Why are you asking us this for the second time and then making excuses after EVERY response says they would not?
You are HER mother. We just know for our own children it will not work.. You do what you think works for your daughter.. And do not even bother with the rest of us..
Our daughter insisted on wearing shorts under her dresses and skirts. She "did not want people to see her panties.. Especially the boys. "
I assume you would not be bother you if a male parent or male employee were at the school and saw your daughter hanging upside down on the swings, with her panties totally showing.. Or her underpants askew as she came down the slide?
That is why we teach children modesty.. Also we want girls to be able to be as active as they want without being embarrassed or embarrassing anyone else by showing their privates or their panties. ..
My daughter does not like wearing a skirt without shorts (she’s 5.5). She said she feels like her underwear is showing (which it is). I think it’s mostly a modesty thing in school so the kids don’t make fun of them “I saw Emmy’s underwear!!”
I see your point. Really, why is it a big deal?
However, with that being said, there is something to be said for teaching kids about modesty and what is okay and what is not okay. If it’s not okay for us to show our underwear, why should it be okay for them to show their underwear. If I was participating in an activity where my underwear might be seen, I would wear something different, or yes, perhaps put a pair of shorts on under the skirt/dress. If a girl is going to wear a dress or skirt to play in, and the underwear might be seen, then I think it makes sense to put a pair of little shorts on. We always bought short shorts or bicycle shorts, etc; but I noticed that Target now carries under-dress shorts - it’s about time!
And, catching a glimpse is one thing, but sometimes it’s more than a glimpse - like when they hang upside down from the monkey bars, or crossing the monkey bars if they’re high up, or when sitting indian-style in class, etc.
My high school senior went out this morning with shorts on under her skirt. She doesn’t need boys trying to check out her private parts as she goes up the stairs or gets out of the car. She has always worn shorts under her skirts - especially if they are short.
The shorts keep everything covered and she doesn’t have to worry about anything showing that’s not supposed to be showing.
YMMV
LBC
Girls where shorts under dresses (usually work out shorts, not shorts with pockets, etc.) because then if they do cartwheels - their underwear isn’t showing.
I wear shorts under my dresses and skirts because my thighs rub together (yuck! And have all my life - even when I was a cheerleader and swimmer)…and because if I bend over and a gust of wind comes up - i don’t want my stuff to shown…
My daughter is in first grade too and unless she’s wearing leggings or thick tights then she wears shorts under her dresses. I guess for me it’s just a modesty issue. She likes playing on the bars and slides and all that. Adults don’t wear shorts under dresses because most adults aren’t playing on the jungle gym in dresses, LOL.
When I was at Target last week they had some packs of shorts just for this purpose. Someone had opened one of them so I took a closer look. I thought, “What a great idea!” Well, when I took a close look they just looked like boyshorts style underwear. They were more like the high school volleyball teams or cheer teams shorts. Almost some “cheek” hanging out! I would rather someone see my daughters Dora or My Little Pony cotton panties than to see something so tight on her that nothing is left to know! Plus, they looked like a heat rash/yeast infection in the making. We are a cotton panty family!!!
I like the skirts with the shorts made into them, and skorts and such, but I know that I would get too hot with shorts and a skirt even if they came together. Hopefully my girls wont sweat like a man like their mommy does. Blech!
I never wore shorts under a dress and I never made my daughter do it either.
ETA: As for “I fully believe that we ought not cause OTHERS to sin, and that’s where my viewpoint comes from. If a young boy were to see her underwear, his thoughts might go to a place that they wouldn’t have otherwise, and if you have the power to prevent this, then by all means. It’s the same reason why many cultures insist women dress a certain way.”
—How is that any different from “She was asking for it” if a woman is raped while wearing a miniskirt?
Because little girls have no shame and are active little girls. Jeff Foxworthy has a joke about his daughters meeting the pastor and pulling their dresses over their heads. Active little girls just have no concept of “keep your dress down” and “don’t show your underpants”. When they are older, shorts are not a requirement (though my SD did wear bike shorts in HS if she thought she might flash…a longer skirt would have been better but at least she was covered). So I keep DD in shorts or leggings when I think she might climb a tree or something else and flash her underwear while wearing a dress. As an adult, I do not run and jump and climb trees in my dresses. That’s the difference.
It’s also “time and place”. A swimsuit is a different environment than a school and it is meant to be seen and underpants are not. If you really don’t care who sees your kid’s underpants, then that’s your choice. I prefer my DD to wear shorts and I try to make sure her shorts are the variety that won’t gap too much to show her underwear - regardless of whether or not she’s also in a skirt.
In googling for a company that I know makes them just for this purpose, I found a few references to adults who wear bike shorts to prevent chafing. So some adults DO wear them under their skirts.
ETA: Which is not to say that I don’t tell my DD to sit like a lady, remember she’s in a skirt, etc. but I’m also realistic that the skirt she wants to wear to school is likely to flip up on the swings. I’m talking about LITTLE girls here. When SD was older she stopped wearing shorts unless she decided to do so again. But well into elementary school she wore skirts or leggings.
I didn’t wear shorts under dresses and skirts mostly because I didn’t wear dresses and skirts.
I hated them.
You couldn’t climb to the top of the monkey bars in them.
And I had the neighborhood record for climbing the highest in the trees - a neighbor threatened to shoot me down if I kept scaring him like that (I was looking down onto the roof of a 2 story building - great tree! - I was 7 at the time.)
They got in the way in running and riding a bike and building a tree fort.
I such a tom boy and I wasn’t going to let dresses/skirts slow me down.
Sure - some Scotsmen don’t wear anything under their kilts, but you can get quite a show if the breeze is blowing.
I’m not that keen on seeing anyone’s underwear for any reason.
My daughter is almost 4. She loves to run and jump and play, and to sit “criss cross applesauce”. During all of those things her skirts and dresses can shift and move and cause someone to see her unders. In her pre-school she will tell me “Avery was sitting and the boys started to say ‘I can see your underwear’, causing Avery to cry”. Thankfully this has helped Maddy to develop some form of modesty. We buy her biker shorts or “Cheerleader shorts” which are sold at Children’s Place for $5 per pair. They aren’t bulky, and they help protect some of her innocence.
You also have to remember, kids are outside so much, doing cartwheels, running, and swinging. Who knows who is driving by and may see them in their underwear. It’s not the 6 year old boys I am concerned with. It is the 40 year old who is FAR too interested in the playground.
ETA: Many schools, including the pre-school where my daughter will be attending in the fall, require it is a part of their dress code.
I spent eight years wearing a Catholic school uniform (jumper with blouse) and oh my gosh there is no way I would have been caught without shorts under my skirt. Not only because we walked to school and it could get petty windy on the playground, but also because the boys would always be at the back of the line when we moved through the halls (back then it was ‘ladies’ first). This conveniently allowed them to look up the girls dresses when we walked up the stairs. Funny, I had forgotten about this until I saw this post. If I had a daughter, absolutely shorts so that she could run, jump, climb, cartwheel and whatever.