{Live} On Kids in Crocs and Other Things I Swore I Wouldn’t Do
March 9, 2011 in All Posts, Laugh
@BabbleEditors tweeted yesterday: ”Celebrity kids who wear crocs. Are they cute on kids or not? http://ow.ly/4aerX.”
Before I became a mom, my answer would have been “not.” There would have been absolutely, positively no way my child would wear a pair of those plastic holey Croc-a-majigs.
Besides being supremely unsightly, Crocs are safety-hazards for little feet and end up catching on everything from cement and grass to carpet and laminate floors. As a firm believer in supportive versus fashion statement-making toddler shoes, I only let Jane wear Stride-Rite brand kicks, which I’ve found to be sturdy and built for walking, rather than just accessories for her outfits.
I mean, if she grows up to be anything like me, she’ll have years and years ahead of her to wear unsupportive back-killing platforms, flimsy flip-flops and no-arch flats for the sake of fashion.
My lovely Lille pumps by Stuart Weitzman (let's not get into the sky-high Lanvin platform booties and strappy patent Marc Jacobs numbers in my closet)
But alas, on a birthday trip to the mall with Grandma, Jane fell madly in love with a pair of Crocs, and Grandma was hook, line and sinker-ed into buying them for her as a 2nd birthday gift.
Jane adores her “frops” and dances around with them on her hands every time she thinks we’re about to head out the door! So now I have given in to the idea and let her wear her trendy little pair. Of course, I always carry an extra pair of socks and “real shoes” with me in case we’re going to do some serious walking.
After giving in to the Crocs, now I even let Jane wear this awesomely neon pair of Converse that Grandma also bought for Jane on the same said birthday trip. (Apparently shoe obsession is genetic - something passed down from generation to generation).
Letting my child wear Crocs is just one of the things I said that I would absolutely never do before I actually had any kids, but then completely reversed my opinion after actually having children. Here are just a few of my other rules gone seriously by the wayside:
- Never leave my child unattended in the bathtub - When else will I get to finish making that cup of coffee I’ve been trying to brew all day?
- Only feed my child natural, preservative free, sustainable, organic foods - Am I really going to stuff this free range chicken down my finicky toddler’s throat instead of letting her peacefully eat an entire plate of beef chow fun from the neighborhood Chinese restaurant?
- Never feed my child fast food - Try and deny the Golden Arches to a toddler who has already had her first taste of french fries on an outing with her grandmother. (Thanks, Mom).
- Never let my child ride in the basket part of the shopping cart - While my ambitious pre-kids goal of safety is a good one, what do you do when you need to manage two under two at the grocery store and keep your toddler from running amok in the produce section?
- Never prop up the baby’s bottle - Who has the luxury of holding her infant’s bottle until he falls asleep while her unsupervised toddler is tearing the living room to shreds at the other end of the house?
- Never let my children play with my cell phone - Babies and phones are like super magnets drawn together by a force I cannot reckon with. Plus, the phone keeps them occupied at doctor’s appointments and can pull them out of the depths of tantrums, so I’m willing to risk a little exposure to my mobile’s radiation.
- Never scold my child in public - It’s not always pleasant for childless people to watch and not always accepted by other parents, but it’s necessary if I’m going to teach my children about self-discipline and how to properly conduct themselves in public.
What have I learned from these 180s in parenting philosophies? 1) There are no hard and fast rules to raising children because both your views and your children’s needs will evolve over time and 2) never blindly follow someone else’s advice about how to raise your children - including your own.
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Chrissy – who has written 415 posts on The Outlaw Mom® Blog - Tips for Raising Thinking Kids + Creative Living.
[...] I can relate. Not just in the realm of fashion, but in all aspects of my life - including finding the right child care. [...]
I used to hate them- but now my kids wear them, mostly because it’s the only shoe I’ve found that they can put on themselves at 2. I bought a pair on sale to garden, and found them surprisingly comfortable. So, I wear them, too, now. Don’t judge me. I already do.
I tell myself that I’m sacrificing a little kid cuteness and a bit of safety to aid their self-sufficiency skills.
Oh, I’m a total convert now since writing this post and I have branched out from Stride Rite to Puma, Converse, Target galoshes and basically now Jane has cooler shoes than I do. Well, almost
She’s still too young for platforms. But Sam only gets Stride Rites since he’s still an early walker. I say that I’ll never be caught dead in Crocs, but never say never.
[...] the coordination and tumbling ability did not come from me, but the interest in cosmetics - like her love of shoes - must be [...]
[...] before kids and life after two under two is ever so stark and has me loving, hating and laughing at the differences between now and then. What do I mean? Well, consider my definitions of happiness before and after [...]
[...] (Note the Crocs in the photos: I suppose they do have their place). [...]