Tuesday, October 9, 2007

The Great Shoe Debate

Hi, my name is Jennifer and I have an eleven year old daughter. This is how I feel I should introduce myself. It explains a lot!

Mikalah's feet have hit a growth spurt. Gone are the days of cute shoes like this:


Now my daughter is wearing ladies shoes...a size 7 1/2! They don't make Hello Kitty sneakers (yes, I called them sneakers) in a size 7 1/2 ladies! Of course being eleven she has also sworn off anything pink or Hello Kitty, so it really wouldn't matter if they did.

When you look at her feet, they don't look that big.

I remember being in fifth grade and complaining to my mother that my feet looked so big! (They were a size 8) Her response was, "Oh sweetheart, they are in proportion to your legs."

An eleven year old does not take this to mean God made you perfect and perfectly shaped. Oh, no, what I really heard my mom say was, "Your legs are big too, so no one will notice."

Now that I am the mom of an eleven year old daughter (have I mentioned that recently?) I'm sure I will say things that my daughter will remember for years - probably even need therapy for.

But right now I'm the one that needs therapy here...I'm the one we are supposed to be having sympathy for!

Because Mikalah now wears a ladies 7 1/2, she has no shoes. She has one pair of sneakers (there's that word again) and one pair of flip-flops. So naturally we went shoe shopping.

Given that I do not know when this foot growth will end I really don't want to spend a lot on new shoes. It's BOGO time at Payless, so this seemed like the natural answer to our shoe dilemma.

I suggested she try these:

...or these...
...maybe these...
I was even willing to concede to these...
But she would have nothing to do with it. Nothing fit right. Too tight, too loose, too old, too babyish, etc. You get the point. Mikalah had suddenly turned into Goldilocks. And I was becoming the Mama Bear!
These are the shoes she wanted...

Hello people, we live in Montana here. We're talking snow and cold. And that doesn't even begin to address the heel or the hookerish lace up to the knee part.

"How about these?", she asks.

Maybe for Mama! But not for the eleven year old girl! You are eleven. I don't even think I would allow you to wear these if you were 16!

"These one's are lower."

She obviously needs to see the opthomologist, because there is something wrong with her eyes. These are not lower!

"Then how about these?", the sweet, precious child asks.

Now you can't see the best part of these ones. The heel is clear acrylic and when you walk it lights up! It's like having little kid light-up shoes again. Or maybe it's like a built in flashlight for the street walkers so they can find their money when they leave the hotel room!

Needless to say, we left without any shoes for Mikalah. I'll try again tomorrow...when I've recharged my resolve to have her look like an eleven year old.

In the mean time, look what I found for me! And no, Mikalah didn't like them either.
Mom, I'm sorry for all the grief I gave you as an eleven year old daughter!

5 comments:

Trish D said...

Seeing as how I was wearing an 8 1/2 in 2nd grade, I can totally relate. It really is a pain to find something appropriate and comfortable. (And on a side note, I can remember coming home from school one day upset because I realized that my feet were bigger than my teacher's - she had an extra pair of shoes under her desk and they were ONLY 8!)

Unknown said...

I have never reached shoe size 7 1/2, so no I never had the problem...I was always easy to shop for shoes...I like them all and if someone else is buying...JUST SAY YES!!!! As I was with you as you were making her try on shoe after shoe after shoe...I understand the frustration because I couldn't even talk her into something. It is now my belief that 3 year olds and 11 year olds should be sent away for a year.

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm.....I just bought a pair of Hello Kitty tennis shoes TODAY. They have lights and everything:) And I felt all weepy because they were a size 1.
So all this is in my near future, huh? I feel weepy again.

Unknown said...

Great post, Jenn! Oh the drama. I liked all the ones you suggested, and those boots and sandals would be killing her by morning recess!

Ivymamma said...

trish...I can not imagine 2nd grade! I knew you did not have tiny feet, but 2nd grade!!!!

carrie...thank you so much for being with me...I would have lost it earlier if you hadn't been there!

onecoolmama...I'm sorry jto give you a glimpse into the future...I'm sure you have the perfect daughters that will always love pink, sparkles, and hello kitty! Does that make it better?

chris...can't you see her playing kick ball with the pointy-toed boots? Now that's some comic relief!