Keeping shoes on your kids

You say you tried everything short of grounding or removing privaledges. What exactly would that be? Perhaps that is the answer right there. Take away the TV for a day or two and see what happens. It may work. As far as wearing crocs to school, I don't like them, especially at school. But that is a personal opinion and means nothing, just thinking out loud. Here is where I take issue though. Who is the parent? If you don't want the youngin wearing crocs to school, don't let her, period. I am all for kids being individuals and all that, but I don't think 9 and 10 year olds can be allowed to dictate wardrobe choices. That makes being the parent even more difficult during the teenage years, where wardrobe is all important to them. Luckily, my daughter's school has a uniform policy. Takes all the drama out of it. I am from the south, we all walk around barefoot. We watch where we walk (fire ants, snakes and such). Our issue with shoes is getting her to untie them before slinging them off.:dance:

I don't care if she wears crocs to school, my issue was the fact that she snuck the crocs to school and wore them and got her brand new Nikes stolen because of it. Perhaps I should have mentioned that earlier. Of course, she did receive consequences for that. But, back to the original question, I mean, I'm from Oklahoma, but I've just never seen the like of the barefeet like these kids like. I mean, it may be comfortable to them, but it's not practical in my book...so how do you untrain them??? You know???

Heck, I'm no expert, so take this with a grain. I think that their behavior can be changed by consistent reinforcement of the "rules". You, as the parent, have established a no-barefoot rule. The penalty for violating this rule is "_____________" (fill in the blank). Once they realize that this penalty will be enforced every time they break it, they will change their behavior (at least that's the way it should work).

I think you need to consider whether this is a battle worth fighting.Lots of people go barefoot indoors. I do---I wear size 10 1/2 wide shoes, and shoes really hurt my feet. If I can shuck them off, I do! In many countries, people routinely take their shoes off indoors, so as not to track the dirt from the street into the home.Other than pinworm (which is rare outside of the South, and which you can't get indoors), I've never heard of any disease caused by going barefoot.So why fight a huge battle over this? Is it really worth all the difficulties and arguments? I think you have to choose where to make a stand with kids, and if I were in your shoes (ha!), this isn't where I'd make it.

Yep, it's a battle worth fighting to me. Just because "lots of people go barefoot indoors" doesn't mean I will let my children. Barefeet leave you exposed outside, and they don't help inside either, when it's cold and you're more susceptible to flu anyway. But, no one is telling me stuff I haven't already done, so I guess that I will just have to remain consistent and hopefully they'll eventually get the message. haha Thanks folks.

Yeah, same here. The first thing I do is remove the shoes when I get home. If it is chilly, I put on some slippers. I agree, this may not be worth the fight. I think you should be comfy when at home. Shoes aren't comfy.

Could a compromise be reached? Sounds like you want your kids to have their feet protected, which isn't necessarily wrong, and sounds like they want to be comfy. Perhaps as the PP mentioned, your kids can wear slippers in the house (and possibly car if you're fine with that situation), but when outdoors they would need to wear shoes at all times. If you're willing/able to try this, perhaps letting them pick out the slippers they want (that way if they try to complain about having to wear them then you can counter with the fact that they picked them out!).As for how to keep them in shoes, I don't have much advice. I did teach for several years and the kids knew they were to keep their shoes on, but they still tried to take them off. In one classroom I had a reading area with a couch and this was the only acceptable place they could have their shoes off. Surprisingly this worked. In another classroom I regularly had the students help me "pick up" the floor. I'd do something where I'd have them bring me 15 pieces of "trash" and they'd get a reward (sticker, skittle, etc.).. well, with 20-some kids they had to get creative and they saw things like staples, push-pins that fell off the board, etc., that could hurt if they stepped on them. For some, this helped them realize why they needed to wear shoes. Perhaps showing your kids all the different things that they could step on might help...? If you have a neighbor with a dog enlist their help... maybe your kids could walk the dog a few times and see it "do its buisness" and by wearing shoes they protect themselves from stepping in it barefoot. I hope that gives you some ideas if you haven't tried them. And good luck! =)

We routinely go barefoot (or socks or slippers) in the house. I prefer not to have shoes on my carpets as they're light-colored and get stained very easily. I will let the girls play in our yard barefoot in the warmer weather, but generally speaking, they are required to wear shoes outside. They would happily wear flip-flops and shorts all winter if I'd let them, but I do draw the line there! I guess I can understand you wanting to protect your children's feet, but at 9 and 10, aren't they getting old enough to make *some* choices for themselves. We can make rules for our children, but doesn't there come a time when we have some "give and take" in the setting of the rules? Obviously, every family has non-negotiable rules about some things...and this may be one of yours. Just wondering.

Well, keep in mind, yes, they are 9 and 10, but I should have mentioned they've only been in the home 3 months...so this is a new rule they've probably not ever been subjected to... And thanks all for the replies.