Maybe its genetic (lol, I crack myself up) I also dislike shoes..
Yes I am a woman who doesn't give two __ about shoes..
We do exist.
Honestly, I much prefer to be barefoot.
I force her to wear shoes when she is doing her Physical Therapy exersizes or is in her adaptive equipment and at school. But other then that NEVER do I really put them on her.. Why bother?
Why spend extra money and effort on something I know for a fact she will just kick off or pull off? Then I have to chase it around ensuring it doesn't get lost? Bump that....
I used to care, but that was before she figured out how to get them off.
I've figured something out about the world as a result of her shoe-lessness.
People really, REALLY pay attention to a kids feet, it's kinda weird.
Over the past year or so I get asked at least a few times a week by well mannered clerks at checkouts and registers if she's lost them somewhere in the store. I know they are trying to be helpful so I always smile and say we left them in the car. I never really thought twice about it until I saw a young man in a wheelchair a short time ago, without shoes on, only socks.
(which by the way sophia wears everywhere because I do have some manners)
But none asked him why he wasn't wearing shoes or if he had lost them.. noone , but me i guess, seemed to even pay attention to it.
It got me to thinking, why does everyone care so much about HER feet then??
Why all the un-wanted attention about shoes?
Then it clicked. Im not going to lie it was a shameful revelation, mostly because it took another young person with an obvious disability for me to think about it.
She doesn't LOOK disabled . She has no wheelchair...yet...if ever.
THATS why all the stares and questions about where her shoes are. Everyone is amazed that I have a toddler who's not running amuck or totting behind me. They are probably wondering what I did to get her to sit in my arms peacefully all the way around Walmart or the grocery store without so much as one word.( little do they know its her SPD)
She's of size to be speaking and walking. Her physical characteristics are proportionate, she's tiny, but there are no obvious physical characteristics no limb abnormalities. To a passer by she probably looks like a typical small girl. without shoes. I guess people are just making a simple observation and I'm being sensitive. No surprise there.
At first I laughed in spite of myself, and moved on. Then my never ending though process uprooted an interesting observation.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe she is getting too big to be in public everyday without shoes. After all she's not a baby anymore. There will come a day when she will need to wear shoes. Just because she doesn't like them doesn't mean she doesn't have to do it. Its not about offending people, I assure you I don't care. Its just that she's growing up. its time. Every single person on earth does stuff everyday they don't like. I don't get to go barefoot to run errands ( nor would I, ....gross)
But it's a matter of principle. Its time that I start to open up her protective bubble. Its time that I start treating her like a three year old girl.
She is not my "baby" anymore. She's a preschooler.
Nobody really ever grows outside of the demand placed on them. Most demands are self imposed or imposed by society. But for sophia, her demands are imposed by me. I fully expect her to do some form of walking at some point in her life. For that she will need shoes. It will unquestionably become a dis-service that I protect her from all the little things she doesn't like. Its going to be a slow process for both of us. but its time we start.
Sophia Needs to wear shoes. Its time.
But first we need go shoe shopping.
Looks like she's not the only one doing stuff she'd rather not do.
At what age did you guys start to make your kids wear shoes everywhere? Was it because they were walking, or because you thought they should? Leave answers in the comment section below!!!
Look for our new website, debuting September 2014.!!!
ps. shoes is an odd word.
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