Tuesday, May 25, 2010

How well do your shoes fit?



We took the boys shopping last night. I know! Boys and shopping, theres an irony if ever one existed. Unless we're going X-BOX game shopping, or new hockey-stick shopping, boys and going to the store really don't mesh well.

It was pretty much necessary, considering what happened when I looked at Nolan's feet last week. We were sitting side by side on the couch, with our feet propped on the ottoman. In utter disbelief we merged one foot each, back to back with the other's foot. I kid you not, they were the same size! No wonder he has been complaining of heel pain.

So we bravely headed to the mall with the boys reluctantly in tow. I remember at his age that Nike was just coming on the scene. By the time I hit jr. high school, I would have given anything for a pair of Nikes. I think I landed my first pair sometime in high school, when I could pay for them myself.  In the meantime I wore the standard store brand from Tempo, or JcPenney.

I still feel a trace of awe and reverence every time I go to try on a new pair of Nike running shoes.  But trying to impress upon the boys how "lucky" they are to have parents who can buy them Nike?  Insert eye-roll here.  Nolan in particular was not swayed to look at Nike. With Sidney Crosby obsession running through his veins, Reebok, was the shoe de jour.

He found the one he wanted almost instantly. It was mostly a light gray, with purple accents. We all agreed it was a great looking shoe, in a budget friendly price. Perfect. Except for the size. Not a single pair in his size. Now there were plenty of other shoes in his size, but they came with manly sized prices, or all the wrong colors. He started to deflate.

Until Mommy stepped in. With an idea brewing in my head I set out in search of the same shoe, in a different part of the store... and there it was. Gray Reebok shoe with purple accents, and an affordable price. He instantly loved the shoes... and they had his size.




The only drawback? It was a woman's shoe. Steeling myself for the big rejection I was sure was about to follow, I broke the news to Nolan. At this time the brilliant sales woman stepped in an attempt to rescue her quickly evaporating sale. Why weren't those the colors of the Minnesota Vikings? Didn't they look like the shoes Brett Favre might wear? Nolan is taking all of this in, and then she goes in for the kill. I tell you what, she says, you wear these shoes, and someday when I come watch you play in the big league, I'm going to ask you for your autograph.

I saw Nolan slowly smile, walk around a bit in them, shrug his shoulders and heard him say "I'll take them."  Insert jaw drop here.

I hate to admit, but the rest of our shopping trip was smooth sailing.  It helped that we found a sale on none other than a Brett Favre purple Minnesota Vikings jersey.  Maybe we'd "masculinized" the shoe situation well enough for it not to be an issue.

Upon arriving at home, Nolan quickly took off for his friend's house, completely decked out in his new shirt and shoes.  But leave it to Nolan, without skipping a beat, when his friend inquired if he had gotten new shoes, he replied, yes, and they're girls!!  Insert head shake here... mine!

He wore them to school today.  Who knows, maybe he'll start a new fad?  Or maybe he just possesses enough self esteem to know it really doesn't matter what kind of shoe you wear.  Hmmm... there's a novel idea.  It's the message my parent's tried to instill in me.  Too bad it took my own kid's wisdom for me to finally get the lesson.

18 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, I wouldn't have even thought to look in the women's section! Nolan sounds just like my friend Susie. She'll do something ridiculous and make me promise not to tell anyone, but then the next person she sees she immediately tells them the whole story! :)

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  2. We went thru the same thing but with hunting boots. The pair McCoy wanted happened to be a ladies. The saleswoman quickly said, "Oh honey someone accidently put this here. It belongs in the mens. What size do you need?" He never gave it another thought! BTW, I LOVE these Reeboks!

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  3. What a well-told story. I love it and I love Nolan even more now.

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  4. And I was hard up over his And other childish ways
    And despite know intent later felt low AS I
    And found it hard to look at gambaling play heys
    And felt unworthy of existence AS sly!

    Laced was her bottle too throttle so yetI ALL for coming fall! Love Andrew.

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  5. It's so hard to get shoes yo like in the right size. What a fantastic idea you had. I never would have thought to look in another section.
    Happy ending all round.

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  6. Nolan has got MOXIE!!!!! Right on, dude. And good call, Mom! Maybe he's a true trendsetter. I love that he headed right out to inform his friend about this great find. :) You've raised an amazing kiddo!

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  7. Love that kid!!! Who could help it? And his mom? She's one amazing, wise lady with an incredible writing talent! Loved this, Vicky!!! Love YOU! Janine XO

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  8. You guys are raising some super kids ... and that's not an easy "feat."

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  9. lol That was so cute. I usually say they are unisex and this avoids the girl problem. Except it didn;t with Alex . We used to call him Sasha and then the girls began showing up with that name and he began to rebel and say my name is Alex.
    I tried telling him Sasha is a boys name and the girls nationalized it but it didn't help.
    Vicky athletic kids do get heel problems. Best to put in gell inserts and make sure the heel end of the shoe is wide. The heel doesn't have much skin so it gets into a lot of trouble which take 6 months to fix and its painful in the mean time.:)

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  10. Haha! That's awesome! I love the use of the Vikings in convincing him to buy them.

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  11. LOl.. brave kid! And...shopping with a 14 year old is like listening to nails on a chalk board while watching paint dry. Ugh!

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  12. Good for Nolan! My guys are notorious for troublesome shoe shopping. The oldest only wants black and white high top tennies. My youngest I have to practically pry the old pair off of his feet adn bet him to get a new pair...He gets attached to his shoes.

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  13. That was really cute! Good for Nolan, that fashion trendsetter!!

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  14. Oh, what a smart mom! My mom, definately, would not have told me they were girls, I definately didnt have enough self esteem as your son. Way to go.
    Since Crosby's out, are you and your family on the Flyers band wagon. I'll make room for ya.

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  15. what a great kid !
    what a smart mom !

    and now i want those shoes too.... as mine have finally called out "ENOUGH ALREADY"

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  16. Just stopping by to wish you a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, filled with all the love and happiness of family time that you deserve!! Love you, dear Vicky! ~Janine XO

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  17. Of course as adults we don't think it's a big deal but for him as a kid to take it that easily and then even tell his friend-girl you got you an awesome boy on your hands!!!!!!! :)

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  18. I have a BIG smile pasted on my face as I write this! Nolan sure is mature and confident! When I was his age, I didn't even know what confidence meant! Just like you, I've always had shoes from local brands and went to the expensive one, only when I could buy it from my salary. The way you ended this post reminded me of a saying "I complained that I wanted new shoes, until I saw a boy who had no feet" Take care :)

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