My back was turned to her, but I was already hating this late night Wal-Mart run (I'm a Target shopper). Every time we go in the store for one thing she asks me for 100 things.
"Mom, did you hear me? I want these shoes."
I turn to face her and my 9 year old, Laia, soon to be 4th grader, is smiling from ear to ear. I look down at her feet and see Shaq Shoes.
I frown.Oh no. I thought to myself. Not Shaq shoes. I then began to think back to my school days when the worst thing you could wear to school was some shoes that were not name brand. I remember in third or fourth grade when my friends and I teased Daniel all year because he had some Chevy shoes. I remembered when I stopped wearing my light up shoes to school because a classmate pointed out that they were not LA Gear."No you can't get those."
"Please mom!! They are perfect and it looks like I can run fast in them. Boy shoes are better than girl shoes," she pleaded.
I looked at the $15.97 price tag on the shoes. Thought about it and put the shoes on the shelf. We left the store Shaqless.
I decided to go out and find a better shoe. So after three stores I found a pair of $70 Nike's that were similar. After a quick check to my bank account I stood in line to pay for the shoes.
That's when it hit me.
Unfortunately not much has changed since I was in school. The kids with the cool sneakers are cool and other kids are not. Some parents can afford Jordan's and Adidas for their little ones. I've seen other parents scrape up money, borrow or even steal to get their kids the latest name brand shoes. What lessons do we teach our kids? Their worth is not determined by the kind of shoes they have or where they shop. What matters are those grades, What matters is that Laia can make any one laugh. What matters is that she is kind to the kid that doesn't have a real POLO shirt on or that she shares with kid whose mom didn't have extra money for ice cream.
Don't me wrong I have my brands and things that I like, but why should I plant the seed in her that brands are EVERYTHING because that is what society will teach her? I want her to love God, love people, and love herself regardless of what she is wearing. I want her to have the confidence to wear what makes her feel good. I want her to stand up to bullies. I want her to make wise decisions on how to spend her money. Not spending money on thing to impress others. I don't ever want her to feel that she is entitled to something just because she wants it. I want her to know that if she wants nice things in the future she has to work for them, I don't want her spoiled. I put the Nike's back.
"I can really get them!?!"
I looked at her smiling face again, Only this time I was smiling too.
"If those are the ones you want."
She hugged me so tight. "Yes. I am going to look great at school. These are the BEST shoes in the entire WORLD!"
