It’s just another day of running errands and shopping at Target with one of my girls. Yes, my life is a glamorous one and because it is, we dressed for the occasion…jeans, t-shirt and a sweatshirt. I went a little crazy applying mascara but other than that, my daughter and I were dressed for the occasion in our usual comfortable and casual way that would only help to class up Target the way that we do. Walking up and down the aisles, I find myself distracted by a cute pair of flats as my darling daughter walks on ahead pushing our cart.

I look up at her walking on ahead just in time to notice her passing a thirty-something couple with a cute little girl sitting in their shopping cart. The lady is looking at blouses and holds one up for the man she is with to notice. He notices…my daughter as she walks by.

Oh.

My.

God.

He is checking out her ass! My baby girl’s.

Being the mom that I am, I walk ahead to catch up to my darling daughter. As I pass the couple, I glare at the man who is still leering at my child.

“Shame on you! She is fourteen year’s old.“, I hiss.

He immediately looks away. The lady looks up to where my daughter is and smacks him. He deserved it. Perv.

Yes, I am that kind of mom who will call out grown men ogling one of my girls. Really. Just ask my daughters. Over at The Stir, another mom finds herself dealing with similar situations and shares her frustrations over men behaving badly. She poses the question “Have you ever caught an adult staring way too long at your child? How did you handle it? Did you just let it slide?” and the comments began. It seems that many readers believe that the daughter is at fault. In the comments it is assumed that obviously the child is dressed in such a way that the poor, innocent, grown man can’t help but fix his eyes in a leering way on her daughter. The girl is asking for it. Shame on her and shame on her mama for letting her dress like a little slut.

Interesting sidebar is most of the women who sided with the conclusion that the girls are asking for it either do not have children or were mothers of boys.

What is this? 1950? It’s the child’s fault? The girl is asking for such unwanted attention? So it would follow that my child, dressed in blue jeans and a sweatshirt also deserved to be leered at as well?

Honestly?

True, there are young ladies out in the world who do dress in  ways that can and do call attention to themselves. I have teen-aged daughters. I notice what their peers wear. They are the minority. Still, does that really excuse a man for behaving badly? I don’t think so. My observations, raising these girls of mine and protecting them from the pervy dogs we encounter is that there are some men who will ogle anyone with XX chromosomes regardless of what they are wearing or their age…well, okay maybe they wouldn’t be checking out my kids’ great-grandmother (although at age 92 she is still gorgeous)…still there are some guys in this world who are just dogs.

I blame their moms.

Why not? After all, it is NOT 1950. It’s high time that the guys learn  a little self-restraint and try to imagine someone like themselves checking out their precious baby girl. Pervy dude in Target, I’m looking at you.