I never thought I’d be posting this message at this stage in my life. I mean, many of us are no longer in our teens or twenties. Some of us are much older, and would never dream that we might become a stumbling block for men. We’re past that, right? Well, my husband doesn’t think I am, but that’s different.

My friend Deb, in the middle in the picture above, is a genius with style. She always wears something she has designed when we have our class reunions. One thing she does is dress conservatively. Of course, at our age, we all do. Pretty much. But from time to time, especially in winter when I wear my snow boots–which is all SEVEN months of winter–I like to wear leggings with those boots so they don’t wrinkle and bind. This means they are quite form fitting. I will wear a long sweater or shirt over it that covers pretty much everything. Pretty much. And besides, I’m old now. What man besides my husband would consider me seductive?

However, I was dressed this way the other day when I was out and about, and realized too late that the top I wore did not cover every inch it need to cover. And I noticed this in the eyes of a boy who appeared to be coming of age. I was astounded and very sorry.

My mother tried to tell me when I was a teenager that boys reacted to visual stimuli more than girls. She should know, since she had eight brothers. But it was difficult for me to understand since I wasn’t wired that way, and so like a typical teen, I tuned her out.

Now I remember my mother’s words, and those of my wise stepson who long ago warned me that most teenaged boys had very little control of their imaginations. He was a teen at the time, and so he did know what he was talking about.

I had thought that there would come a time when, due to age, I could dress however I wanted and not worry about becoming a stumbling block to men. I don’t worry about grown men now, but I would like to protect those younger ones who haven’t learned control over their observations. They are still children trying to figure out the world. If I were the mother or grandmother of one of those young ones, I would appreciate it if other women would respect their struggle and help keep their minds pure.