it's the shoes

Chalk this one up there as something I never thought I'd do until I had a child. Along with eat at NBA City, watch a NASCAR race (and enjoy it) and say the words, "Do you want me to TIVO Barney for you?"

About 85% of the boy's clothing is hand-me-downs. It's not often I get to or have to buy anything for him, including footwear. But he was desperate for a pair of tennies. He had two pair of Merrrel hand-me-downs which were fine for running amuck in. But with the weather warming up, he needed something a little more tennis-shoe-y. And I had totally been striking out. Whenever I'd find him a pair I liked, I would bring it home and it wouldn't fit him. I was tired of making trips to buy and return shoes. So I decided he needed to come with me.

Friday we went to Famous Footwear who happened to be having a Buy-one-get-the-second-pair-half-off price. Immediately I spotted the shoes I wanted him to have:




And moments later, he spotted the ones he wanted to have:


Did I mention they light up?

You should've seen the smile spread across his face when I told him to try them on. We slipped them on his feet and he bolted around the store like he had just discovered his legs. The whole time checking out the sides of his feet to watch the lights blink. The boy who never thought twice about shoes, suddenly looked like his whole world was ten times brighter with Lightning McQueen on his feet. Still, there was this look on his face that said, "Mama's never going to let me get these." And honestly, I really didn't want him to get them. They are, how-shall-we-say BUTT UGLY. And they LIGHT UP!! Not to mention my disdain for the fact that they have to slap a licensed character on everything for kids these days. But I knew I was going to buy them for him the moment we saw them. Elian had eyed a pair of light-up shoes before and Ed had given me a hard time when my explanation as to why I didn't buy them was something to the effect of, "Over my dead body." Edpointed out that the only chance he'll have to wear stupid shoes like this that light up is when he's a kid.

But it wasn't Ed's guilt trip that made me cave. It was how my little boy looked when he tried these shoes on. How he thought they were just the coolest thing ever but not once did he ask me if he could have them. In fact, he rarely asks for things and when he does he completely gets it when we tell him no. So I guess I thought of this as his reward. When I told him he could get them, there was a look of disbelief on his face, "Really, Mama?!?" To which I replied, "Yes, but we're getting the Chuck Taylors too." (Though I'm not completely convinced these fit him and I may be returning them soon.)

He wore the Lightning McQueen shoes out of the store, watching his feet the entire time. When we got home, he was so excited to show Papa his new shoes and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Look what Mama let me get!" And secretly, Ed and I both knew that Ed was the one who convinced me that it was okay for my boy to have stupid light-up shoes. But he didn't say a word and let me be the hero. Thank you, Papa. And that night, the boy who previously didn't think twice about shoes, slept right next to the most hideous shoes known to man and he was happy. I guess this might be how my mom and dad felt when I picked out my blue cat-eye glasses.