Oh Be Careful Little Eyes What You See

O Be careful little eyes what you see, 

O Be careful little eyes what you see, 

There's a Father up above Who is looking down with love,

So Be careful little eyes what you see.

I remember the Wednesday evenings I would sing this tune in my mother's "Rainbow" class.

The room was filled with spry 4 year olds and a rust-colored carpet that smelled of both spit and syrup. 

I swung my white Keds and sang the words, well mumbled half of them, totally unaware of anything but the catchy tune and little Johnny sticking his gum underneath his blue seat.

As we grow, we are taught to "not watch those movies" with "that one rating."

Don't look at dirty magazines.

Don't watch Cartoon Network after 11 p.m.

You know, all the basic conservative home rules.

I followed those.

Yet, I noticed that sometimes my little eyes can't help but see things totally out of my control.

I noticed my husband's eyes will sometimes see things they can't block out.

I noticed my boys' eyes will constantly be exposed to images that they can not simply "blink" away.

Commercials with women moaning over a...cheeseburger?

Cartoons with full chested females on Nickelodeon? 

The ballpark.

School.

Church. 

The gym.

The bus.

The street.

Chuck-e-cheese.

My four men are exposed to sex everywhere.

What do I do when their eyes cannot be shielded?

Sure, I would love to walk around with my husband and three step-sons, covering their eyes and spraying every half-dressed female I see with pepper spray, yelling, "MODEST IS HOTTEST HONEY!" only soon to find myself in the county jail.

Rewind. 

A few weeks back, a woman old enough to know better, struts by me and all of my guys in a tube top and shorts that would make an old dog turn it's head.

Initial reaction: Smoke out of my nostrils and to grab the first baseball bat from a random 8 year old that I can snag and whop some sense into her.

Reaction in reality: Smile and calmly give the bulging eyes to my husband saying, "Are you kidding me? I'm here in jeans and a baseball tee and this lady is dressed like the sun is about to make it's debut."

The reality is that we as mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters, whatever- simply can NOT control what our little eyes and what the little eyes that we want to guard so dearly, see.

What can we do in this seemingly hopeless, booty short-wearing world?

We wear jeans at a summer baseball game.

We wear those shorts over our bikini bottoms.

We throw that t-shirt back over our sports bra after our run before walking through the door to our little eyes glancing up from their video game.

We consistently and purposely demonstrate how a virtuous woman dresses in our home.

Am I saying you should go to bed and make your husband stare at those nauseatingly hideous flannel pants with 15 holes in them?

No.

Am I saying you should wear a robe over your swimsuit when you take your kids to the beach?

No.

I'm saying when you wake, after brushing the rats out of your hair and stepping into your closet, think, "What outfit would I not be embarrassed for little eyes to see me wearing?"

"Would I be okay with my children's future spouse to wear this?"

"Would I be okay with another woman to walk by my husband wearing this?"

If you do not yet have a husband or children, please dress with purpose.

You will one day have a husband and kids too.

Dress your body for the kind of man that will have only eyes for you.

Do not dress to be hott, dress to be valued. 

We can only guard the hearts we love so much.

We can only live and dress as a virtuous woman consistently and pray they see that.

We can only live by faith that they will get it.

"Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion."

-Proverbs 11:22