Operation school shoes

We’re almost there. Less than a week to go. Term one is fast approaching and we are feeling it.

Today we went shoe shopping. Poss needed two pairs; white runners and black lace ups. It’s a change as in previous years she was allowed buckles and velcro. Not this year. Year Three requires laces, for both pairs of shoes. I don’t know how strictly they enforce this rule, but she knew about it and therefore, had to abide by it. Never mind she really can’t do her laces up.

We actually got through the first pair ok. She was in luck, the ones she wanted most were in her size and almost $70 cheaper than the pair that Husband liked. They are white, with a pink swoosh and navy coloured laces. Close enough. We got them. We were on a roll.

We hit the second store, tentatively excited. So far, so good.

It was premature.

The second we walked in, she wanted to divert to look at her birthday present. A skateboard.

“No”, we pleaded, “let’s do shoes first”, knowing her tolerance was waning. But she was insistent. In fact, she just walked away. We followed.

She found the skateboard of her dreams. It’s pink and black, with a hint of blue. There are skulls and cute bows. It’s totally her. A mix of cute girly with a hard edge. She had to have it. Now. Right now.

“It’s your birthday in less than two weeks. We will get it, but you have to wait ” we reasoned.

“You are breaking my heart” she sobbed loudly, as the tears flowed down her face. Not at all dramatically.

We dragged her over to the shoes. We had come this far, we couldn’t bail now.

She cried while husband pulled her sandals off and tried to put on a school sock. I looked for a fitter, but couldn’t find one. “It’s ok”, I thought, she has just been fitted at the other store – “I know her size” and ended up pulling boxes off the shelves myself.

The tears continued. Loudly. The squealy high pitch noise could only be minutes away.

We found a pair. It fit. They are black and have laces. They are leather and look like classic school shoes. She even stopped sobbing long enough to give a nod of approval. They were on sale. Tick.

I don’t think I have ever prayed for a short check out queue like I did today. We weren’t lucky. It was long, with a line of parents all looking as frazzled as we felt.

In the end, Husband threw me the shoes and the skateboard (which had to be pried from her clutching arms) and aborted the operation. Taking her outside to sit in the cool, while I faced the check out alone.

I am not sure when buying school shoes became comparable to a military exercise. But it has. And we are only grateful to be all home safe, with the objective achieved and no permanent damage. Although we may never be welcome in the shoe department again…

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Disclaimer: I attended a Back to School event for Target last week, where I was gifted a voucher. This was put towards school shoes and the aforementioned skateboard. And Target, if you read this post, I am truly sorry about the mess in the shoe department.