Every year I have this concern! And to me it's important on many different levels (some sarcasm here). So here are a few issues to consider when dressing.

Layers: Now this is a no brainer! You must wear layers! Short sleeves (which is an issue we’ll get to later)  with a button down sweater is a must. If it’s not a button down or zipper then you have to take it off over your head and that could mess up you hair or make your shirt lift up. That would be bad.

Shoes: you want to be comfortable, but you also don’t want your tennis shoes to clash with your outfit. So I found that comfortable sandals that stick to your foot works best – as long as your feet don’t get cold. I did not have appropriate sandals to wear this year so I wore my long go-go boots. They worked ok for the first 2 days, but I’m not sure how appropriate they were for the 3^rd day. Besides hurting my feet, I think they drew too much attention to my legs with my skirt on. Of course then I was not showing any flesh on my feet which could be frowned upon.

Now for hair: If you don’t cut your hair or have bangs, then you’re pretty good to go. You can braid it back or put it in a bun. But some ladies wear the head covering. Hmmm. How would my bandanna look as a head covering???  And if you cut your hair, then how is it styled? Is it ok to curl your hair for a homeschool convention? Is it ok to pull it up or do I need to have it as a crown for being a woman?

Now lets look makeup: is it ok to wear make up? Will I offend anyone with a darker shade of pink on my cheeks or lips? Some don’t wear any make up.

Back to the shirt: you have short sleeves and long sleeves. Long sleeves could get too hot or bunch up when you put your sweater on. But short sleeves do not come down to your wrists.

Slacks?  Jeans?  Capri’s?  Dress?  Skirt?  Hmmm…. And don’t forget to match with hose shoes!

What about underwear? You don’t want to adjust anything from sitting and standing and walking all day, so bikini panties are out. That leaves briefs or thong. Either one could show if your shirt comes untucked while you are bending over putting something in your crate on wheels. Hmm… Maybe a dress would be best! But then you might have a draft!

The president of HEAV was wearing a dress suit. Now she was working and giving speeches. But I also did some volunteering. So I also wanted to dress appropriately for that. But what is right?

Now this was all meant to be funny and not offend anyone in any way. My point is that we all have standards that God gave to each of us. And I think that as long as we are open to new things the Lord may want o share with us, then, we’re in a good place.  We should always try to not offend others by how we dress. But how far should we go? I think most people would just say, “Be yourself. Dress the way that makes you feel comfortable.” But you know, that does not always work. When I have a job, I do not dress to be comfortable. I dress for business. Once again, my business attire may be different from another’s.

So when I get dressed for work or a homeschool event, or church, I do not just think about what I am comfortable wearing, but I also consider what is appropriate for the event. I want people to see Jesus. I do not want to offend someone by what I am wearing to that event. If I am going to Kings Dominion, I may wear Capri’s because it works for me. But I probably would not wear my Kings Dominion outfit to church.

Personally, I do not like t-shirts and shorts ever! Except maybe to bed! And it might make me uncomfortable to see someone wearing shorts that are too short to an event. Today, at church, I saw a gal wearing a t-shirt with skulls on it. And it offended me. Mainly because I knew that she grew up in church and that she had plenty of other cloths to choose from. Now if it was someone new and I knew nothing about them, then it would not have bothered me that much.

I’ve had times when I felt that I should only wear dresses and skirts. I’ve had other time where I felt that jeans with a nice top and shoes were perfectly fine for church. It’s when my attitude gets lazy or sloppy that I need to check my heart as to why I am dressing the way I am.

But you know with all of the stress and concern of what to wear to the homeschool convention, not once did I feel judged by how I dressed! And I don’t remember being offended by anything that anyone else wore.  I just think it’s amazing that thousands of Christians can come together to with the love of Jesus and a common goal of homeschooling their children and be unified in their kindness and respect to each other!

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Posted by patrizia

I really enjoyed reading your blog! Oh no! Now Im thinking~ what will I be wearing to the convention at the end of the month!

Rejoicing In Him, Patrizia

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