Oh SHOO-T

I often dream about what Ari will be like when he gets older.  Since he's already very athletic, and he loves to be the center of attention, and he's constantly doing silly things to make people laugh, I can imagine him playing on a sports field, speaking at a podium, and joking with a group of friends.  He's going to be one very cool guy.

But there's another trait that has me a tad concerned.  I first noticed this strange behavior a few months ago when Ari went from crawling to walking.  Whenever I would attempt to put his shoes on his feet, he would squirm and kick and run away as fast as possible.  And, after I would corner him, pin him down, and velcro on his kicks, he would, almost immediately, kick/pull/maneuver just right and set his feet free. 

Has this Houdini-like shoe behavior gotten any better?  Nope.  In fact, while I have become more efficient at getting the shoes on, he is just as proficient at removing them (particularly in the car).

I know what you're thinking... the kid doesn't like to wear his shoes.  Normal toddler behavior.  No big deal. 

But wait.  There's a catch.

As it turns out, he does like to wear shoes.  He wants to wear them all day long.  In fact, he is happy taking them on and off and on and off.  And sometimes, he puts a pair on his hands and a pair on his feet.  He just can't get enough shoe.

So what's the issue?

Well, it's not these trendy, perfectly fitting, little boy sneakers that he likes to wear:

Nope.  Rather, he likes to wear these:

And these:

And, well, yeah, these:

He's like the naked cowboy.  Or something.

Since Ari refuses to wear his own shoes, and prefers to raid my closet, there's really only one thing to do about it...

Hey Matt - Mama needs a new pair of shoes!