Cute Kills

When it comes to shoes, a very wise friend once told me, point blank, that "Cute Kills." I was just 20 at the time, and it still took me years to assimilate this information. (Years and the discovery that my feet were actually a 1/2 size bigger than I thought.) Now, my daughter is falling into the same cute-shoe trap. A mere 3-1/2, she is all about the shoe, regardless of the fit. It was only under duress that she admitted that her black Mary Janes no longer fit. When I told her she couldn't wear her yellow plastic dress-up mules outside, she stomped over to my husband and announced, "She just doesn't understand me!" And this morning, she insisted on wearing her water shoes from last summer and categorically rejected the notion of buying a replacement pair that might fit better. "I want to stomp, Mommy! Help me stomp better!" It didn't help matters that she'd worn those very same shoes, apparently without a problem, yesterday with our babysitter, who actually is some kind of divine creature and makes things like eating meals seem completely natural and not a bother in the least.

All this to say that in life, there are some lessons we each must learn on our own. As a parent, I can try to guide my daughter, but I can't stop her from falling into the cute shoe trap. No, she'll have to figure that one out all by herself.