Why would I want to spend 2 minutes unknotting and retying my shoes each morning, when I could be checking my email instead? So I don't. Seriously.
I tie my shoes on an approximately bi-weekly schedule. I'd much rather wiggle and squish my feet in and out of my shoes than to take the extra time to untie and tie them. I've been doing it that way since I was a teenager and you should see the mere volume of profound emails I've written in the time I could have wasted on tying my shoes.
You don't even want to get me started on kids' shoes. Anyone who's seen what my three-year-old wears each day knows that I value my kids being independent way more than I value fashion, so I buy Velcro or bungee laced slip-on shoes until they're 12 or so.
So what was I supposed to do when Adam's nice and easy/peasy slip-on shoes fell apart right before Christmas? He was so upset that he actually missed a day of school rather than show his face {or rather, feet} in the hodgepodge of shoelaces and duct tape that we used to try and hold his shoes together until we could get to a shoe store.
I brought Adam, still in tears, to the shoe store with me where it was do or die. We had 10 minutes to find a pair of shoes or he wasn't going to school the rest of the week. What was available in his size?
Aaah! In a moment of desperation I bought these shoes that not only have to be tied, but they're also too tight for him to wiggle in and out without loosening the laces. So in addition to tying them for him, I had to UNtie them for him.Simple solution you say? Teach him to tie his own shoes, so
Too bad it takes him approximately 10 minutes and 37 seconds, which is approximately 10 minutes longer than I have to spare when we're walking out the door.Now that I spend my days tying/untying shoelaces instead of basking in my own profundity, I've become the first mother ever that has prayed that her child will outgrow his shoes quickly so I can get on to more important tasks.
Mom and I are sitting here chuckling over Adam's shoe lace woes.
ReplyDeleteWhen we read about your aversion to shoe tying, Mom looked at me and said, "like Father, like daughter" since I hardly ever tie my shoe laces. Mostly I leave my laces tied and slip them on and off without ever untying or re-tying them. Such a waste of time.
And sometimes, I will simply leave them completely untied and live dangerously walking around trying to avoid tripping.
My brothers have given me a bad time for years about not tying my laces. Good job Adam!! You are one cute boy.
Love, Grandpa-Grandma
When my son's kindergarten teacher asked me, "Does he know how to tie his shoes yet?" I thought.....has he ever HAD tie shoes?? I avoid them on little kids as much as possible....and on myself, too. I love slip on, velcro, easy access shoes. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't believe in tying shoes. I don't believe in socks either. My kids wear Uggs in the winter and Crocs in the summer and neither require tying or socks. BOOYAH. (and major props for the use of the word "profundity" in a blog post, right on!)
ReplyDeletei usually do not tie and untie my gym shoes every time i put them on. and this time of year i either wear my zip up boots or recently my chacos:) i will live in my chacos in the spring and summer.
ReplyDeleteI'm with ya. Who has time to tie shoes?
ReplyDeleteBesides, as I get older I'm finding it harder and harder to bend over and get back up! The more I can avoid that, the better. haha...
We ran into this same problem when Josh's no-tie shoes fell apart, which left us only with a tie pair.
ReplyDeleteMom tip...walmart sells those curly shoelaces for $1.50 that stay all curled up, so that they do not actually need to be tied.
Better than buying new shoes.
Run...run to walmart today.
woo hoo.
I have only one pair of shoes that require tying, but most of my shoes are slip ons or clogs. Love them!!! As for the dreaded shoelaces, I found shoelaces that have a...I don't know what they are called, but they tighten the shoelaces without ever having to ty them, like tightening a backpack.
ReplyDeleteCute post! I think part of the "no tie" club stems from being pregnant multiple times and being unable/unwilling to tie our own or our kids' shoes???
ReplyDeleteMe, too! I avoid buying kids shoes with laces. I'm not quite sure my seven year old knows how to tie her shoes--she's never had to! And I was feeling a bit guilty about that until I learned I'm not alone. Thank you. But as for my older kids, I'm always lecturing them about not trying to slip their feet into tied shoes because I hate when they get all worn and smashed down in the heel. But do you think they listen? Guess I should have raised them better.
ReplyDelete