Elizabeth has a total shoe fetish she loves shopping for shoes. She always goes for the pretty, dainty shoes and this year is desperate for a pair of flip flops. For any other mother of a little girl summer is seen as a time for sandals and cute flip flops. For me it another reminder that I won't see Elizabeth running in a sundress with sandals. In hopes to find a summer pair of shoes for Elizabeth we head off to the shoe store. As soon as we get there Elizabeth is eying a pair of flip flops and and ladybug rain boots (neither work with AFO's). I find a couple of pairs of sandals/mary-janes and begin to try to fit Elizabeth's AFO's (ankle foot orthotics) in them, pair after pair is rejected as they don't fit and so we go to runners again. While trying to find a pair of shoes a family in the store begin staring and I hear the kids ask 'what is wrong with her?', of course the kids are learning from Mom because she has her eyes fixated on Elizabeth's braces. I try to ignore the kids but they get more persistent with their questions so I politely explain that Elizabeth is not as strong as other kids and her braces help her to walk. I can't blame the kids for their curiosity kids are kids and they need the right information but adults are adults and somewhere I am sure they have been taught that staring is rude.
Once in a pink pair of New Balance runners Elizabeth exclaimed 'Momma they work, they work I can walk!'. The mother pipes up and says 'God bless her what a sweet soul'. It takes all my strength not to tell her 'yes God bless my daughter's sweet soul. Are you and your children finished staring yet?'.
4 comments:
Oh how I wish you had of said that! I bet she'd never stare nor comment to anyone ever again. I think sometimes people need to be embarrassed to realize their being ignorant.
Have fun at the cottage. Wish we could make it. Hope to see you all soon!!
It's amazing how clueless people are. I wish you'd said it also. Why do we have to bear the burden of other people's ignorance?
Shoe shopping with AFOs sucks...no two ways about it.
The sad and crazy thing is that that mom probably walked off thinking that she was being all sensitive and kind....I wish that people thought a bit more and said a bit less and taught their kids via a better example.
I agree with Abby. And though I know I wouldn't have said stop staring in the moment I am so with you on wanting too. I feel your pain too around getting cute shoes for the AFO's. They are just so bulky. There were these really cute sparkly pink mary jane types at Payless but they don't have them in the larger sizes Ellie needs. And if you really want to splurge, Nordstrom's has that brand Lellie Kellie - they are really sturdy, super cute and fit over the AFO's. Ellie has one pair bought on sale for the still staggering $42 dollars - but she loves them and they are really cute in an over the top kinda way.
Sometimes I have to splurge on my only one after looking so hard for shoes!
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