The Fancy Shoe Gene

I’ve been shopping for new work shoes for several weeks. I wanted full-coverage shoes (ie, not sandals) in dark brown that would serve my feet well in the coming winter months.

The girls and I went to Kohl’s, to Famous Footwear (two different stores) and to Goody’s. Nothing worked for me.

Either the fit was weird, or the shoes were ugly or something just wasn’t right.

I almost caved at one point and got a pair that I thought I could make work for one season. Alyssa talked me out of them, reminding me that I really shouldn’t spend $30 on a pair of shoes I don’t even like.

So I stopped looking. Except not really because I was still going online to Zappos and even Kohls.com. I found a few pairs of clog-type shoes that would work but they cost up to $140. I have never, ever spend that much money on a pair of shoes. Ever.

I realize that probably tells you quite a bit about my budget, but to me that’s way too much money to spend on a pair of shoes, even shoes I’ll wear three days a week to work. No. It’s outrageous.

So the shoe shopping was stalled.

And can I take a moment here to admit that I loathe shopping for shoes for myself when my children are present? There is simply no way to really consider the choices when I’m worried about what they’re up to. And these are two fairly well-behaved children. I don’t know how parents of kids who don’t behave in public manage it. But the few times I took them with me, was awful. I couldn’t stand to be in the store for more than fifteen minutes before I decided it was time to leave, no shoes having been purchased.

About a week ago, I was at our local Meijer store and happened to wander past their shoe department. I saw a pair of Sketchers that were pretty much what I wanted but…they were $55. I know, reasonable when you consider the Danskos at Zappos were $140.

So I dithered about it. I thought about it for the past week.

And yesterday, I bought the damned shoes.

I wore them today and wow, the comfort level is worth every single one of those $55.

The problem? Alyssa and Olivia are both very disappointed in my taste in shoes. They do not understand why I won’t wear five inch heals with pointy toes that make a nice clacking sound when I walk. They are disgusted by how serviceable my shoes are, how comfortable they look and how much like ‘work’ shoes they are.

My mom has lamented my lack of style for years. She’s often told me my shoes are ‘clodhoppers.’

It must be a generational thing. The fancy-shoe gene skipped me and honestly, I’m okay with that. I hate it when my feet hurt and will not deliberately put them into shoes that will cause more pain than my poor bunioned feet already suffer. I love to look at pretty shoes that are probably torture to wear but I don't like to wear them. No thank you.

So yes, my girls will learn to accept their comfortable, less-than-fashionable mom just as their grandmother learned to accept her comfortable, less-than-fashionable daughter.