Shoes and my girl

Well my girl is a shoe freak. She loves shoes. She loves to look and feel shoes at stores. She loves pretty shoes, shiny shoes, shoes adorned with bows or flowers or well whatever they could put on a shoe. Yet she is picky. They have to be just to her liking.

Recently a shoe desire has come to her fancy. Oh one that has caused some turmoil. Some tears have flown out of those sweet eyes of hers over these shoes.

Apparently they are quite the must have in the preschool and elementary scene. But the ones that have won her heart are the ones that light up. Not just the sparkly ones, no they won't do. Now there are look a likes and other shoes that light up but they don't even compare. Basically the girl knows what she wants.

So what's all the rage? Oh the rage is about the twinkle toes shoes from skechers. Her friends have them and oh does she want a pair. Its all she talks about when it comes to shoes. She has even gotten crafty at dropping the topic into every day conversation. Oh yes mothers to baby girls....fashion starts young. Maybe it was brought on by me who had to have the cutest baby shoes on her feet. I remember buying her first mary janes, her first keds, her first pedi peds. Oh maybe I have created this shoe diva.

Oh twinkle toes how I wish you would not have entered our world. Oh dear Mr. Creator of Skechers you have gotten under the skin of my sweet girl. That desire of an object of which one must have has possessed her being....way, way to young for this society influence.

Yes we have had a melt down over these shoes almost to the point of pure bare foot rebellion. "I will not go if I have to wear those shoes", those being the ones she once adored. Good grief. But the mommy prevailed. We went to school and we went with those shoes on her feet.

So what is a mommy to do? Give in? Get the shoes? Let the tiny bit of peer influence indeed influence her sweet child?

Well what we decided to do was this. If such sweet girl had a particularly good nap one Saturday afternoon she was to take a trip to the Imagination Toy & Shoe store near by. This place is adored by such a shoe diva as mine. That we would go look at the coveted shoe and see if in fact it was of quality to purchase. Stressing as much as one could to a four year old that we would look and then make a decision. But that a shoe purchase was not guaranteed. A good Saturday afternoon nap was promised by my shoe diva. So I called and made sure they carried twinkle toes. This would have been my virgin voyage into learning about these shoes. Looking back I might have gathered more information before promising such a trip to the beloved shoe store.

Sweet girl awakes from her nap while mommy is at the grocery. The darling father dresses sweet daughter as she is insistent that she will get to go to the shoe store. The mommy busily puts away the groceries while her shoe diva reminds her mommy that she did indeed take a good Saturday afternoon nap. It is apparent to all that going to see the twinkle toe shoes was to be the highlight of this sweet girls day. The mommy reminds daughter that looking at the shoes didn't mean buying the shoes. We climb into the car and off we go on our twinkle toe voyage.

Oh. Oh what a trip it would be. We instantly find the twinkle toes, we have our foot sized and a shiny pair is slipped onto her feet. But let's go back to my virgin voyage and needing more information. Apparently with in minutes sweet girl is lost in her thoughts as tears run down her face. These twinkle toes don't light up and well that simply just wont do. I mention to her that they are twinkle toes and that they are pretty. But the heart of my sweet girl was won over by the twinkling version of the shoes. Yes, the pretty and shiny just would not do.

The nice shoe lady tells us that they do not carry the light up version. She's terribly sorry. The next torment for my sweet girl was that even if they had carried the light up kind that the size that we tried on just did not fit right. Not fit right struck a nerve with my teary eyed sweet girl because now not only did they not light up but she may not get to wear any at all.

Oh this caused alarm even in the nice shoe lady who quickly tried to sway my sweet girl into looking at a alternate pair of light up shoes. Her persuasion was not working at first but than the sweet girl was broken and she gave into the sales lady charm when she somewhat fancied her with a shiny purple version of an off brand. Sadly, the shoe was not a match for the sweet girls feet or her ultimate desire. We left empty handed and I am pretty sure both of us broken hearted. I tried to remind her that we did set out only to look but that did not mend her heart.

So. So now what is a mother to do? Well the promise of looking into where else we might find these shoes came out of my mouth and brought a smile to her sweet girls face. We would search for a twinkle toes retailer that carried the LIGHT up version.

Mommy asked fellow mother at the lovely preschool where she found the beloved light up shoes. Academy. Academy it was then. I would not run all over town to find these shoes...well not at this point. But I would make sure that some how we went to Academy. Academy sporting goods would have the light up twinkle toes who would have thought.

The following Saturday the four of us went for lunch at a local favorite and decided to head down to the pet store for some cheap entertainment. Yes, Petsmart can be like a mini trip to a zoo. But oh, oh what was the matter. Traffic. The traffic on the route was terrible no doubt. We spent 20 minutes moving maybe one mile. As I looked in the distance and listened to my husband grumble over why he choose to go this way and the children laughing at the man twirling a "arrow sign" I spot, I spot the Academy. I mention to my husband to turn up ahead because our daughters thoughts of T-W-I-N-K-L-E T-O-E-S could soon come to life.

With desire to get off the road he turns right, right into academy and I hear a huge squeal, "twinkle toes!" Yes, the girl was ready, ready to get her a pair. I remind her that we are looking but it falls on deaf squeals. With much excitement we head in to the store but sadly we leave once again broken hearted. Yes. Yes they had the light up twinkle toes but not in her size. Her feet are just not meant to wear these shoes. Not yet at least. Apparently, Academy doesn't carry them in the smaller size. The sales guy just smiled at her and said "little girl your foot needs to grow." That. That brought on tears and questions like "why is my foot to small? why don't they carry my size?" Oh only a scoop up and a hug could heal at that moment.

So shoes, you silly twinkle toes shoes. My daughter may like you but as for me. I dislike you. For all your shiny, bright and light up magic you have cast on my sweet girls heart. And until we find you in our size I'll have to hear all about how wonderful you are.