Ethan has always been VERY opinionated about the shoes he wears.  Me no get.  Welllllll… maybe he comes by it naturally.  Anyway, I am looking for some back to school shoes for him that don’t break the bank and will stand up to IMMENSE AMOUNTS of playstructure (when did we stop calling them playgrounds?) activity and I remembered a story about taking him shoe shopping back in the day, way back when he was 4;).

We were making our way through the mall not really looking for anything, we were on browse. The kid is opinionated. He tells me he doesn’t like any of the BCBG dresses that are 70% off. Then we hit the Nordstrom shoe floor, he finds a shoe size thingee and proceeds to ‘get badguys’ (the poor shoe salesmen). I manage to shield one from incoming fire long enough to ask for an 8.5 in a lace up granny boot and the longtime coveted Frye villager. I couldn’t find any peep toes or platform loafers I had been longing for.  We try these on and he proclaims he doesn’t like the Frye’s, clearly he is just being a pill, who would not like these babies?

We then head up to kid’s shoes. I spy crocs, I want him to try them on… I pick out lovely shades of army green, navy and beige… he picks out fuchsia, kelly green and purple. He likes the shoes, but decides he wants the fuchsia. I am doing my best dance about But these match my jacket! But these are the color of your shirt! But these are camouflage turtle hunting shoes! The whole time he is resisting and I pretend not to care thinking that if I don’t care he will come around, he is resisting the hard sell. I spy a young cute sales woman and enlist her help, he immediately starts making eyes with her… but he isn’t having any of her ‘I like the green ones’ business.

At this point I am like whatever, if he wants to wear fuchsia shoes, WHATEVER! And I decide to pull out the last of my tricks. ‘I think power rangers wear shoes this green color.’ And he says, ‘MOM.  That’s not going to work on me.’ The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Not going to WORK on him?! The boy is FOUR, how does he know I am trying to WORK him. These things are SUPPOSED to WORK on him at FOUR. I’m not supposed to worry about him realizing I am trying to WORK him till much later I am sure.  I am speechless. He gets up to go check out the fishtank for the 18th time and brings back a pair of silver crocs. We have reached a compromise, I quickly pay for them and we get out of there.

Wouldn’t you know, my mother loved this story, Ethan is so much like me. Obstinate, opinionated and not wanting to do something simply because I want him to.  THE NERVE!;)