Me Me Me

At what age does flirting become inappropriate? I’m probably way past whatever it is, but that hasn’t stopped my natural inclination to make nice with attractive men — straight, gay, married, single, young, old. Well, mostly young. And straight. And single. My darling husband understands this tendency in me and is secure enough not to mind it. He even refers to one handsome church friend who is sweet enough to flirt with me as “your boyfriend.” 

The more I think about my DH’s willingness to put up with my flirting, the more I marvel at it. Would I stand by while he sidled up to some 30-year-old chick and flashed his blue eyes and intelligent smile, while dazzling her with his ability to make conversation? I would be very unhappy to observe such behavior. I might even go so far to label it “gross.” A double standard? To be sure. 

But middle-aged women can get away with a lot, given the fact that nobody really takes our flirting seriously. It’s harmless. (Truly, it is.) Middle-aged men, on the other hand, frequently DO pick up 30-year-olds who would be plenty happy to become their trophy wives and give them a trophy child or two to dandle in their old age. Um, over my dead BODY!!

There you have it, then: I can proceed with my innocent flirting, and my darling husband doesn’t get the same privilege. So far, he doesn’t seem to mind.