a girl and her shoes

[flea]

The clothing issue around camp has moved on to the shoes. (We haven't solved the clothing issue around clothes, per se - there are only three pairs of shorts/capris she will consent to wear right now, and she won't wear a skort or a dress to camp, but I do laundry on weekends and one load midweek anyway, and she doesn't mind wearing the same thing every other day, so we're coping.)

Here are the shoes my daughter owns:
1. New pink Stride Rite skimmer style sneakers. Bought a month ago by grandma. Make blisters if worn without socks. Are "embarrassing" to wear with socks. Worn today, with socks, in tears.
2. 3 year old Old Navy $1 flip flops that are too small. Naturally, these are her favorite shoes. These are the only shoes we have forbidden her to wear to camp; I want her to have more stability and foot protection, although in our daily argument about shoes she tells me that lots of other kids wear flip flops.
3. Black Keds sneakers bought in early spring that were her favorites and worn every day for the second half of the spring. Now are somehow horrible and "too small" (although the same size as her other shoes).
4. Navy crocs with no backs. She wore these without socks to camp yesterday and got blisters.
5. Multicolor crocs that have backs but are really too small (12-13 and she's a 1 now) and I should pull them and donate.
6. New Balance traditional athletic sneakers, bought new in January, rejected after a few wearings because she had trouble tying them. She wore them Wednesday to camp (without socks) and figured out how to tie them herself for the first time, but could not be persuaded to even think of them today.
7. Lands End Mary Jane trekkers which are purple and adorable and I kind of want a pair. Bought new this spring, with the intention of them being her default summer shoe. She wore them occasionally during the school year and now says she hates them.
8. Stride Rite black leather Mary Janes, bought for $5 on ebay, which is a good thing because she wore them once to school and will not consider them at all. I should resell these as there is no hope for them.

Eight pairs of shoes, all but two of them bought in the last six months, with her in on the choice. One pair that she will wear that doesn't cause blisters, and that's a pair of flip flops. Argh. Sigh.

So far, only one of her three bathing suits is "embarassing," and it's the rash guard one, and I am heartlessly making her wear it once a week when they have lengthy outdoor play in swimsuits at camp, to protect her skin.

Comments

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear. Nothing constructive to offer but my sympathy.

[haphazardmethod.livejournal.com]

I bought Sys those purple Lands End Maryjanes. They are ADORABLE and yet still practical and she's worn them, like, three times. AARGH!!!

[fatoudust.livejournal.com]

I have to say, as a nonparent but a camp aficionado after last year's summerlong work at camp, stick with it about the flip flops. They just aren't appropriate shoes for camp. We saw lots of running and tripping on flip flops, falling off at inopportune times (thus social anxiety! behind everyone else! where is my shoe?!?), and worst, lots of broken thong straps, thus causing shoeless woe for the rest of the day. That's not even getting to the no support issue.

Shoes I am taking to treehouse camp this week: elastic strap Keens - for watersports and shower, negative heel Earth shoes - for general use and good weather, broken Docs which need shoelaces replaced - for bad weather and hiking activities.

[orthoepy.livejournal.com]

I support you 100% on the flip-flops. They are no good for camp.

What about buying one of those $5 blister sticks that band-aid makes and applying liberally before putting on the blistery shoes? (That usually works for me, although I am not six.)

[serrana.livejournal.com]

Or, alternately, athletic tape.

(I can kind of sympathize with her about the socks-and-skimmers thing; that is, in all fairness, v. dorky-looking.)