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>As parents, we sometimes have to take decisions for >our children, especially while they are still too >young to take those decisions themselves. >I always try to do what's best for her and in her >interest, and those decisions should still be looked >back upon as "good" from a distance of a few years >from now. >My daughter is less than two and in the excitingly >interesting phase of learning to articulate herself. >I decided "over her head" not to put shoes on her. Not >out of a whim but because there are a lot of good >reasons: Better coordination and circulation, stronger >and tougher feet and muscles. Ideally she shouldn't >even get used to the feeling of having anything on her >feet while she learns to walk. >I realize how important tactile input is in the early >years. We see, hear, smell and feel the world. To feel >it we mostly use our hands and feet if we can. Wearing >shoes would be like being blindfolded. >I see a lot of barefoot toddlers in baby prams but as >soon as they get up, their parents put shoes on them. >That's another decision I took: Wherever my Rita wants >to walk, I let her walk barefoot. That includes rocks, >gravel, city roads ... Some say she might get hurt but >that's why I help her watch out for her, and I'm >mostly barefoot too when I walk with her. Sometimes in >flipflops as I push the stroller, slipping them off >quickly when my girl goes out and goes walking on her >own. >At home and in the garden, she will only see bare >feet. That's another message, whatever we wear, feet >are meant to be free. She will never see bare feet as >anything unusual. I love to rub her little feet at >home, to feel how her soft padded sole gets gradually, >slightly more leathery from daily contact with rough >ground, and when we sit on the floor or in the grass >playing together she will sometimes explore mine as I >wiggle my toes to her, so cute. >Carol wrote how her children are eager to try going >barefoot into winter. As for Rita I will just observe >her closely and see how she copes with colder >temperatures. It would be amazing to see her cope with >coldness, frost, ice and snow as easily as she's now >dealing with all the surfaces of summer including >sun-baked asphalt, but that's certainly nothing I want >to force. I'll buy or make her cozy legwarmers keeping >her warm from ankles up, and if it should really get >too cold for her little toes, maybe get her warm socks >only worn outside and never with shoes, yes they will >get dirty and eventually wear out but that's still >better than squeezing her feet into anything more >rigid. I certainly prefer and encourage her to stay >all barefoot, and looking at last winter when she >enjoyed being carried barefoot in cold winter air, she >might actually develop a circulation strong enough to >withstand the freezing cold. She will certainly get to >try snow as soon as it falls, and we will see how long >she can stand it. I don#t want her to risk frostbite >so I look for all the signs such as the color of feet >and toes. It's not long until she will get to take her >own decision when it's best to go barefoot, but until >then she should at least have experienced all the >different surfaces and temperatures herself. >For now it's still hot summer though, as already >mentioned hot tar doesn't bother her, but she >certainly prefers moss and grass, even more than >carpet inside.

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