Daily Dose #67 “New Sandals” We were going to the pool today, so I bought Garner some waterproof sandals—think flip flops with an elastic strap around the heel. I sat him on the changing table and slipped them on. It’s important to note here that he’s only ever worn tennis shoes or boots; he’s never worn shoes without socks, and he’s certainly never had a piece of plastic shoved between his toes. I set him on the ground. His feet had barely touched the floor when he uttered an emphatic, “No.” “They’re shoes,” I said. “You can walk.” He stayed in a half-squat, staring at his feet. I’ve known this boy long enough to realize that he would have to study this situation thoroughly before he could adapt to it. I didn’t push. I just stood there and watched him. Eventually he pulled himself into a full upright position, but his eyes were still locked on the bright blue monstrosities on his feet. He lifted his left leg, thrust it forward, and placed his foot gently on the ground. He stayed like that for several moments before repeating the action with his right leg. His demeanor reminded me of a person walking on a frozen lake. Each step’s pressure carefully measured so as not to crack the ice. After a few more halting steps, he determined that the shoes would, in fact, support his weight and waddled stiff-legged out of the room. He didn’t take on a normal stride until he reached the end of the hallway. When he hit the kitchen, he’d gained enough confidence in his new shoes to run. It cracks me up that Garner has to warm up to even the smallest of situations before he can throw himself into them. I’ll have to remember that as he gets older and give him time to adjust before thrusting terrifying new things such as sandals upon him.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 03:52:50 +0000