Monday, January 21, 2008

A Girl and Her Shoes

There's just something about a girl and her shoes. A special bond that is present at birth. It's in her DNA. She is born loving her shoes. It's more than that, though. She needs her shoes. They are an extension of herself. They define who she is.

If you need proof of this, look at Molly. She has about 8 pair of shoes lined up by the back door. When we go out, I carefully select 2 or 3 pair that match her outfit and then I let her decide which pair she'd like to wear.

Often times I will sit her down with her footwear selections and tell her to make a decision, then put the shoes on her feet. I set off around the house and retrieve everything we need in order to depart (and with a toddler, there's a lot to retrieve).

If I do this quickly enough, Molly only has time to put on one pair. If I dawdle, she will try on and model every pair I set out before making her decision. If, I'm really slow? Well...she'll try on every pair of shoes she owns and then move on to mine.

I could try to change this behavior. I could try to be more prepared so it doesn't take me so long to get ready. But what's the use. Shoes are in a girl's DNA. Trying to change this behavior is like trying to train a salmon not to swim upstream: It just ain't gonna happen.

1 comment:

Michelle said...

LOL! She has changed so much! I can't wait to see you guys soon!