New Shoes

Something happened yesterday that I am having a hard time getting over.  My little walker is in need of actual walking shoes.  So, after our play date at the mall playground with Evelyn's BFF, we rolled on over to Stride Rite.

I wasn't too keen on going to this Stride Rite because I had been there once before and ended up with a pair of shoes I couldn't even get Evelyn's foot into, even after watching the woman "try" them on her and pointing out to her that her foot didn't seem to be sitting totally flat in the shoe.  She assured me that it was just the way the boot appeared, that her foot was in them fine, etc, etc.  Needless to say, I had to take that pair back.

So, I wasn't too happy when I walked in and the only person there working was the same woman who sold me the shoes that didn't fit my kid.  (I guess I could have refused to buy the shoes when I didn't think they fit, but that's beside the point.  The point is that I had already predetermined that I didn't like this sales lady.)

We started looking at the walking shoes, she sized Evelyn, and I picked out a pair to try on.  As the woman was trying to get the shoes on Evelyn's feet, it seemed to me to take way longer than was necessary to put shoes on a one year old, especially a one year old who was actually sitting relatively still for a few minutes.  It was when she was trying to get the second shoe on that things really went downhill for me.  She got the shoe on and then turned to me and said, "Just so you know, her left foot is turned in quite a bit.  You should really mention it to the pediatrician.  I'm sure it's fine and will straighten itself out, but you should still let them know."  And I just didn't even know what to do, what to say, what to think.  There was a big part of me that just wanted to leave, but I didn't even know how to go about getting the shoes off Evelyn's feet and back in the box with some kind of plausible excuse for why I didn't need them anymore.

So I tried to come up with something.  "Is it normal for it to take that long to put the shoes on?  If they fit shouldn't they go on a little easier?"

"Well, she's not used to shoes, so she is tensing up her feet and curling her toes, plus it doesn't help that the one is turned in.  That can make it harder to get shoes on."

THERE IT WAS AGAIN!  Oh my gosh.  What is wrong with her feet?  So in my new state of heightened anxiety, I rushed to pay for the shoes (which took a ridiculously long time because the computer froze and I had to make small talk with this woman who I was really angry with).  I couldn't even really enjoy the hysterical way Evelyn was doing high knee steps around the store with her new shoes on.  She wanted to walk everywhere in her new shoes, it was pretty adorable.  She wore them to Kohl's today and had a ball stomping around the whole store waving to each new person she found.

Unfortunately for me, since yesterday I have been watching her feet like a crazed person.  I am now convinced that a woman with no medical degree whatsoever has diagnosed my child with some kind of foot deformity.  I'm really trying to let it go, especially after it took me about 2 seconds to get the shoes on her feet today.  Tense, turned in feet my...foot.