Also? The Mother of the Year people just called. My award is on its way.
He looked up at me with sadness in his startlingly blue eyes and said, "I'm sorry, mom. My toes are just scrunched up in my shoes and they really hurt."
After giving myself 6,000 lashes with the belt made entirely out of guilt, I apologized and promised to get him some new shoes this week.
It really shouldn't have surprised me. The new Sunday pants I bought him at Easter? Like three inches too short now. I don't know what this kid is eating that is so different than the others. Nobody else is sprouting ankles out of their pants by the hour. An inch or two every year at best. But this one? He's grown about three inches in the last few months alone.
So yesterday we headed over to the mall. I started at Macy's, figuring I'd
Only, much to my dismay, I discovered that he has completely outgrown the children's sizes, and is now smack dab in the middle of the men's shoe sizes.
Sweet. fancy. moses.
Have you ever seen how expensive men's dress shoes are? Ain't no way I'm dropping $150 on a pair of shoes that, in all likelihood, will fit him for about eight minutes. I rarely spend that much money on my OWN shoes.
So I lied and told him I didn't think any of the shoes there looked good and steered him toward Famous Footwear. Where the shoes were only $90.
And then I steered him towards Sears, where the shoes were only $60.
By this time, I was running out of excuses as to why I felt the stores just didn't have his style. I think he believed me after the first store. But by store three, he was looking at me like I had totally lost it.
We ended up at *gasp* Payless, and I gladly forked over $40 for a pair of surprisingly decent-looking dress shoes. It still pained me slightly, knowing that he only wears them a few hours every week, but it was definitely better than the alternatives.
Here's hoping they fit him for more than a month.
Because, really, if anybody is going to be spending the Husband's hard-earned money on more shoes around here, it definitely ought to be me.
25 comments:
I ONLY shop at Famous, which would put me in the "upper middle class" according to your assessment here. And I live next to Kearns and ride the bus to work...
I figured my upscale and uptight sister would at least shop at Sears. Welcome back to the ghetto.
I'm with you. Dress shoes are way too expensive for kids.
Maybe you better have another boy so you can pass his shoes down the line. You know....get more wear out of them.
Oh sister, I feel your pain. I only buy my kids church shoes at Payless for the exact reason you said. The shoes will fit them for about 8 minutes. I have decided it is the dirt and sunshine that seem to find kids during the summer :)
Wow! He's already in Men's sizes?!? Good call on Payless. No shame there!
I feel your pain... and my oldest feels your middle's pain. He's grown 2 inches in 2 months according to the doctor. Thankfully it's summer, so no one's noticed his shorts get shorter by the week. Really scary part, the ceilings are only 6 ft in his bedroom... I fear I'll have to move soon or raise the roof. -J
Target also has some decent looking men's shoes. I forgot to remove the stuffing in my youngest boy's shoes and couldn't figure out why he was walking funny until I took off his shoes. Poor kid couldn't even really tell me b/c he was still a toddler. MOTY!
Oh! We are SO going through the same thing!
I can't believe he wears a men's size!!
This post was so funny. Long live Payless!
I could have written this post (not as well as you mind). BOTH my kids wear adult sizes in shoes and nothing makes me happier (not) than handing over $$$ for non cute soon to be outgrown shoes. My son recently got a new pair of converse 3 sizes larger than the ones I had been MAKING him wear. Can we share the MOTY award?
Thank goodness for Payless. My boys need new shoes about every 14 minutes, and boys shoes are expensive. We now have their boys' dress shoes in 4 sizes and my oldest is only 4.
Yes--church shoes always get forgotten around here. I sent Chris to get Will a new pair once and he went from the size 10 he had been wearing to a 12. Ooops, sorry baby! I just forget about them during the week (shoulder shrug).
Good call, sister. Payless was created for people like you. He'll wear each pair precisely 6 times...save the $ for long-term shoe investments.
You are very wise. He will be grown out of those Payless babies before they have hardly any wear and tear to speak of.
I laughed at your Mother of the Year comment. I love your humor. Did you know I was last year's Mother of the Year and that I am graciously relinquishing my title to you? Yeah, I also have some swamp land for sale here in Georgia...
Oh, and I also loved your clever descripton of the belt, "made entirely out of guilt". So perfectly put, Stie...and I think I have that same belt...in blue.
LOL - good job on picking the RIGHT shoes. indeed why spend so much on kiddies'/mens' shoes? it's not like a piece of art like womens' shoes ;)
~ash's mum
Kids are SO expensive! People used to warn me about college and weddings breaking the bank . . . it was shoes, underwear and milk that left my wallet empty.
we hit mens' sizes about a year ago. thank goodness for ross, because the boy loves his nikes.
you crack me up with your reparations plan.
ohhh, awesome. At least he crossed over into men's and didn't get stuck between the two like mine did. You know, not quite a 7 but not a boys 6. Frustrating.
This post had me holding my sides!!!
I'm sure he'll become the tall and lanky stud with girls swooning around him! ;)
I have a hard time spending much money on my own shoes... let alone ones that my children will outgrow within a few months. You are a wise woman. You should do something fun with the money you "saved" on his shoes!
Due to the crappy cold spring and early summer, Jackson was running around school in complete high-water pants. I really don't hope he will be labeled as a dork for the rest of his elementary school career due to my refusal to get him new pants when short weather was around the corner.
The good thing about church shoes is that they can actually be handed down to a younger sibling since they see so little use.
At least that is what I do. My kids really have no chance of being cool with me as their mother, huh?
You don't truly get the Mother of the Year award until you send them to school for a week with a broken (collar) bone and refuse to write a note excusing them from PE. That's when "suck it up baby...it's just a flesh wound" comes back to haunt you.
My baby Scotty is now taller than me and in men's size shoes. It's the long legs and 27 inch waist that are doing me in. Hard to find!!!
This shoe saga is familliar to me. Took my son to shoe store when he was 8 or 9 - he was fitted with shoes 3 sizes bigger than the ones he was wearing. I felt about this "." big.
I only buy Sunday shoes at Payless. We should start a Sunday shoe trade website. You just have to pay for shipping. I'm also in the same situation as Jenibelle. A boy with LOOOONG legs and a tiny waist. I had to suck it up and go to Lucky for school jeans last year just to find a pair that fit my bean pole. I made him buy a bigger waist size and wear a belt so that I could fit into them (on a good day). KA CHING!
$40 at Payless? I've been saying for years they really need to change their name. Their shoes are pricey! I'd much rather have $40 Skechers for my kids than $30 Tinkerbell ones! ;) Glad it worked out for dress shoes, though!
Camden's feet are already huge and growing by the minute. I got him some cute Sunday Sandals but a boy can only pull that off until he's three or four then the teasing begins....
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