I took my 13 yr old son shoe shopping today. We went to Sports Authority. 1000's of pairs of shoes were stacked ceiling-high. It was an overwhelming sight. Nike. Asic. NB. Adidas. Walking. Cross trainers. Basketball. Running. Tennis. Golf. Hiking. Cleats. Whyyyyyyyyyy meeeeeeeeeeee??????
Now, when I go shopping for shoes for myself, I go to my favorite shoe store, head straight to the clearance rack, pick out the 3 pairs in my size, slip each one on for the 30 second comfort test, then I purchase the one that is the least ugly. OK, so I know that I have a terrible shoe wardrobe. I admit it. It's pathetic. Again, this is an area of my life that needs assistance, so fortunately my mom and sisters come to the rescue a few times a year with at least a couple of cute pairs of shoes.
Today's experience with Steven was the perfect example of why I don't shop. For anything. Least of all for shoes and clothes. It's so frustrating. The walls start closing in on me. I desperately want to lay down on the floor and cry 'til my mom takes me home in shame. Oh, yeah. I'm the mom. SO, I sit patiently on the cold metal bench watching Steven peruse the selection of shoes. And of course, the $149 shoes are the coolest ones - these are the ones that have technology built into the shoe designed to interface with your ipod nano. Unbelievable. These shoes transmit info like calories burned, distance walked, etc. It's like an electronic pedometer. And if your pace is slowing down lower than your goal, you can hit OK and a Power Boost, High Energy song will come blasting at you through your nano, motivating and inspiring you to pick up the pace and finish strong!
We did not purchase the $149 shoes. Steven knew not to even ask. After trying on what seemed like endless pairs of shoes, Steven decided that all the new shoes looked too, well, NEW. When you're going into 8th grade, the last thing you want to do is call attention to yourself with bright, shiny, perfectly brand new shoes. Shoes need to have a casual amount of wear and tear at all times. We almost left the store several times. OK, I almost left the store several times. Steven was a ruthless shopper. A real professional. The Nike swoosh was too red. Girlie almost. The clear, blue plastic heels - too preschool. The gray - not gray enough - too silvery. Black and gold? No. Gold and white? No. Orange shock absorbers in the heel? No. Lime green? Heck no.
We settled on the gray Nikes. With the red swoosh.
