Why do some children wear socks in the garden?

[KittyWithStripes]

So many kids, running around outside in their socks .

I don’t understand! Either it’s cold/muddy and you need shoes… or it’s warm enough to go barefoot.

I think it’s really yucky to get socks so stained and grotty when you could just wash their little feet clean in the bath that night. Why is this?

Just been dropping kids off with their mates for a sleepover. Within 20 seconds every child had their shoes off and were running around in and out of houses in socks.

I know with DD2 it's a sensory thing and she constantly has her shoes off in the classroom at school as well. It doesn't bother me one bit as long as both socks make it into the washing basket together at the end of the day.

I noticed this just this week, out for lunch and almost all the children were shoeless with socks on...all the socks were never going to be clean again filthy
There was one little toot though and his feet were bare and a sight to behold, I said to dh I would not want to have to deal with those grubby litte piggies at bedtime. My lot all used to scream bloody murder for hair washing and any foot scrubbing.

I spend most of my time barefoot around the house & garden.

Sometimes if its cold I’ll have on old socks & treat them like barefeet & go in & out.

But their parents positively encourage it! All across London. Drives me mad.

A) how are you able to monitor children's sock wearing habits, in their gardens, all across London?

B) why would you let it drive you mad, unless their parents are also positively encouraging you to wash their disgusting socks

Fwiw, mine do it, because they don't listen to me telling them not to. I really don't know why and it annoys me because I do have to actually wash the socks or chuck them when they inevitably get holes quicker than they otherwise would have done, but in the grand scheme of things I have bigger things to worry about. But I'm not in London so maybe it's different...

@Griefmonster

I'm really surprised by this: But their parents positively encourage it!

My children always did it with very active encouragement NOT to do it and I've never seen a parent who wasn't saying: "either put your shoes ON or take your socks OFF"

I spend my whole summer saying this!

Type of parents who allow this are the ones who sit watching TV in pyjamas.
😁😁😁

They take their shoes off to go on the trampoline and never bother putting them back on and after telling them to for the first few years and being ignored you’d rather pick your battles.

One kid is semi permanently barefoot, including in town. The other one hates being barefoot and wears his oldest socks outdoors - the ones that are too small and will go in the bin anyway.

Really - funny I literally never sit in my PJs watching TV, nor in fact in any type of clothing do I watch TV during the day. My kids must have missed the memo that they should only do this if I'm lazing about in my PJs.

Because children are fucking weird, my 2yo keeps putting one welly on and one sandal. Also a coat, shorts and sunglasses.

It doesn't matter, the socks can go in the washing machine.

That was to ripia

I really, really hate being barefoot. I’d wear my socks outside.

Why do some men wear hats in Aldi?

Why do some women wear their hair in plaits?

Why do birds suddenly appear?

Hahahaha yes I do sit around in PJs and own a TV :o

The horror!

Mine wear socks and no shoes outside, I do constantly tell them, they don’t like the feel of the grass and paving !

6 yo just doesn't bother going to get shoes until I spot him and tell him to. 3 yo ALWAYS has socks on - won't even go to bed without them so if he's gone out without asking for shoes he definitely won't be barefoot.

@HelenaJustina I spent about 74 billion years of summers saying this. It made no difference. My 17 year old still goes outside with socks on. It drives me mad.

It’s not just children
I do this and I’m an adult
Love to walk about in my socks, especially in the garden

Actually yes, sometimes I do watch telly in my pjs. Sometimes I even enjoy a coffee in the garden wearing pjs and socks What will become of the children?

@ShowOfHands

Why do some men wear hats in Aldi?

Why do some women wear their hair in plaits?

Why do birds suddenly appear?

‘Positively encourage it’ Ha ha, heard it all now!

My children walk around the house in socks and because they’re kids - or maybe because they’re lazy! - it doesn’t occur to them to take them off when they go in the garden. Can’t say it bothers me.

Because they haven't taken them off?

Children don't always think. I've put the bins out late at night wearing only socks, when I come in their are filthy. I should know better and always intend not to do it again. When it is small children, they need to be told to put on shoes. Apart from anything else, a thorn or something could go into their foot. However nobody polices their children every minute of the day.

DS (7) had a habit of doing this but hopefully has got the message after he scraped big holes in a pair a couple of weeks ago.

So they won't get worms?

Because they take their shoes off the second your back is turned. I made my two youngest put their shoes back on 5 times in half an hour the other day. I literally cannot keep up. And hey, it's just socks. Chuck them in the washing machine and all is well. I've got better things to worry about.

Fwiw, my two year old was stood butt naked at the top of the slide in the garden yesterday because she'd decided to strip off just for the hell of it. I only just managed to stop my 4 year old following suit. It's what kids do.