You are!
Not your wife, not your youth pastor’s wife or anyone else.
You’re the protector of your daughter’s virtue.
She has personal responsibility for her actions, but you have the responsibility to lead her toward Jesus by instructing her in what’s right (Proverbs 22:6). A leader cannot delegate away his or her responsibility. If you’re going to err, then err on the side of protecting your daughter too much. Her future husband will thank you, and she will thank you.
Newsflash: Our young women are growing up in a world that celebrates sin. Young people get more of their moral guidance from television than they do from their parents. Do you think MTV and Miley Cyrus should be setting the standard for your daughter’s purity?
I’m just going to say what I believe: Parents, you don’t even have the right to give your daughter permission to wear a bikini.
You’re giving away something that doesn’t even belong to you. Your daughter’s body belongs to her future husband. You have the responsibility to protect her and protect what will belong to him.
“I wish more men had seen my wife in a bikini before we got married,” said no Christian man ever.
You don’t know what your daughter’s future husband will condone. You can’t speak on his behalf.
You don’t know how your daughter will feel once she’s grown in spiritual maturity. You are called to steward your daughter temporarily, and must do so with extreme caution.
If your child matures into adulthood, and decides to exercise her liberty to wear what she wants with her husband’s blessing, then that’s her right. While she’s under your care, you should protect her from a rapidly decaying and dangerous culture.
Here’s some rarely spoken truth: More fathers would be able to lead their wives and daughters toward purity if they weren’t struggling with the guilt of engaging in sexual immorality by routinely viewing pornography.
