Dalton's Shoes

I remember feeling the exact same way that he does now.


I remember the urgency, the importance. There is a major trend that everyone is in on...everyone EXCEPT you.



For me, I think that it was getting a perm, jelly shoes, doing the "claw" bang, the acid washed jeans...oh, and Girbaud jeans (who invented those heinous things anyways?)



And now it is Dalton's turn. The fad of the moment right now are these shoes (in one variation or another):

To me, they look like orthopedic shoes for old ladies. And so I told him that, and of course it made no difference at all to him...cause EVERYONE'S wearing them. I know, this is the perfect time to whip out that old saying "Well, if everyone were jumping off a cliff, would you do that?" but you know, does that really work? He tells me that Colter has white ones with green writing, and Jackson has black and white ones, and Luke W. has red ones. He is to the point of tears as he is trying to win me over to see the enormity of the situation.

Here is what I have against them (aside from the fact that they are ugly)

1. They are lace-ups. I HATE lace-ups. Even though Dalton can tie his shoes, he is too lazy most days to do it. So his shoes that are lace-ups end up becoming defacto slip-ons which turns them into these slipper/shoes that never stay on.



2. Horrible for sports (which is ALL he does). Dalton's feet are narrow to begin with. And these clodhoppers are going to be weighing him down like he is running with bricks attached to his ankles.



3. Expensive. Now I know why my mom was hesitant to drop wads of cash on those Girbaud jeans. When a fad costs $50, it's not cute, it's stupid.

So, I understand that he "needs" them. He actually really does. His current pair (from Payless) stink, and are falling apart. But the bummer for ME, is that now I am going to have to buy him TWO pairs of shoes instead on one. Because these will go the way of his Heeley's and end of sitting in his closet when he realises how stupid and uncomfortable they are. He told me that his friend Colter asked to trade Dalton for Dalton's thin shoes because when they play soccer Colter's shoes always end up flying off. "And you STILL want them, even though Colter doesn't even like his?" I ask. "YES." he replies (Duh mom, why would THAT make a difference?) So, we made a deal. He has to earn half. And so we'll see just how important this fad is to him.

And in the mean time I am going to buy him these:

or these: