New Shoes

You know that song New Shoes?

Want to know what Nate's shoes look like after 6 weeks?

No?

Too bad. I'm gonna show you anyway.

Take a good look at that toe area. Yes, that's right. The sole is completely coming apart from the rest of the shoe.

I have admit, my reaction when I found this shoe was not to be filed under "parenting award nominee." After all, these shoes were not the school shoes I'd gotten for the boys in September. No, these were a replacement for those shoes, which had holes in the toes and were so bad that I finally told Nate we were going to throw them away after he wore them as part of his Zombie costume at Halloween.

Recently I found them crammed under his bed. Which turned out to be OK, because he had to wear them while I replaced these grey and orange things.

"What do you do to your shoes?" I shouted, shaking the shoe in the air like it was an etch-a-sketch and the hole would erase itself if I only shook it hard and fast enough.

Nate shrugged. "I just ride my bike, is all." And by 'ride my bike' he means 'drag my feet to stop the bike.'

So I had to buy Nate a new pair of shoes.

I never know if I should buy him an expensive pair of shoes, or a cheap pair. When I buy a cheap pair, I do it knowing ahead of time they are going to fall apart, so I feel like I'm not even giving Nate a chance. I can only blame myself for the holes and the rips and tears. But when I shell out three times as much for a pair of sneakers only to have the same type of thing happen, I despair. Then I blame myself for paying out so much because of COURSE this was going to happen, it ALWAYS DOES!

Actually I went and bought him two new (medium priced) pairs of shoes. Just in case. He also has a hand-me-down pair that is slightly too big, and also still shiny enough to pass as a dress shoe, so I won't let him wear them, you know, EVER.