A Thing Of The Past

Sometimes, a simple little thing can make a memory come flooding back, bringing a smile to my face.  Today, it was shoes.  Specifically, this video:



Watching this video made me think of the year my Grandmother bought me shoes for my birthday.  I don't remember exactly how old I was, but I do know that it was the first year that Velcro sneakers became popular.  My Grandmother and Grandfather took me to the mall, where they had the best shoe stores.  I was allowed to pick out whatever sneakers I wanted.  Back then, they had shoe salesmen who fitted you for your shoes.  I remember taking off the shoes I was wearing, and standing on the metal foot shaped thing that had the sliding thing on the side.  The salesman figured out what size I was and went back into the store room to find the sneakers I wanted.  Back then, they didn't have the self serve stacks of shoes like they do in the stores now, and there was no such thing as ordering online, because the internet didn't exist yet.  Wait, when did I get so old?

These days, finding shoes that fit properly can be confusing, especially for little kids.  Start-rite makes it easy to find the cutest shoes.  They have everything from boots to dress shoes.  They also have several articles and videos (like the one above) explaining how to find the perfect fit for your child. 

I wish my Grandmother was still with us, but she died before I had my first child.  I know she would have enjoyed taking my little ones for shoes, too.  I bet they would have been able to find some Velcro ones, too.