Yesterday, I took three biggest kids to the shoe store in town for some new kicks. It is literally an assembly line ~ measure feet, make choices, try on, etc. The store is abuzz with other families doing the same. There are lots of smiles and each child has something "special" in mind..
Henry's turn. Running sneakers. Check. Some all purpose Sambas (my fav.) Check. "Mom, I need new cleats." Fine. Which ones? "Mom, I want the PINK ones." Really??!! Are you sure???? "Yep, that is what I want." Henry tries them on. A perfect fit. Big smiles. Add to our tower of sneakers.
Get home. All kids show off sneakers to Dad. Great. Awesome. Super cool. And, then, silence accompanied by "the look." You got him PINK cleats??!! C'mon. You're just inviting kids to tease him.
I don't want the opinions of other people, big or small, shaping the decisions my children make. {especially those near and dear to their hearts} And, by the way, Henry chose PINK, not me. I want my children to learn about standing up for themselves and what they believe in, even if it is only a pair of PINK cleats for starters. Baby steps. The bigger stuff is around the bend.
Saved receipt. Just in case. Box of PINK cleats loomed in the mudroom. {stay or go?} Later, I asked Henry why he truly wanted PINK cleats, especially knowing the kids would most likely tease him a lot. "Mom, I want PINK because it's for cancer." Threw away the receipt and placed the PINK cleats in his closet.
tb
{I wonder if Henry remembered the NFL players wearing similar PINK gear for breast cancer awareness in the fall.. I doubt anyone tease Michael Ohrer about his choice of color.}
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