I vaguely remember the day I was at my friend's house and my mom called me into the bathroom. I was probably around 5 years old. I was in or about to go to kindergarten. She sat down on the bathtub and from a bag pulled out a new pair of tights that were still in their package. She called them leotards and said that they were for me. She removed the tights from their package. Then she had me take off my pants and she put them on me.

It was love at first wear!!!

I remember asking if I could keep them on under my pants while I played with my friends and she let me. Why wouldn't she? She bought them for me and I was just a little kid. What could be the harm? I don't recall sharing my secret with my friends that day.

There was a reason she bought these tights. They were for a costume that she was making for me. I was going to wear the costume for Halloween. My friend who was one year older than me was going to be Batman and I was going to be Robin. In no time she had the costume ready and I was able to wear my tights with my new Robin costume. Yippee!!!

Halloween came and went but I was not yet ready to give up these amazing feeling tights. I was hooked on the stretchy, snug second skin feeling that they gave me. I don't remember asking if I could wear them after Halloween. I know I just kept wearing them around the house. I would watch television and run around in them. I lived in them.

Although even at 5 years old I knew it wasn't something I should share with the world. Maybe my parents let me know that there was something a little off about a boy wearing tights. Or maybe a close relative made a comment. Not many people knew my secret at the time.

As for my friend, his mother did not allow him to wear tights with his outfit. He wore a department store Batman costume that his mother purchased. At the time he was envious that I got to wear the tights and that my costume was the real deal!

To be cont...