AIBU to insist on clarks shoes for 13 yr old dd

[ThatVikRinA22]

she says i am

i say its not negotiable. clarks do some nice trendy ballet shoe type efforts now in any case. last year hers lasted ages, were so comfy i would have nicked them for myself. they were lovely and trendy, little ballet slippers with a stone on the front with a dainty little strap across....nothing not to like and almost the same as anything you could pick up in New Look

when i was 13 i was wearing shoes 2 sizes too small. i never got my feet measured and i never got new shoes. im pretty insistent on having decent well fitting shoes for DD, who is sulking cos clarks shoes just are not kool...she is a size bigger than i am now but a very narrow fit.

aibu?

oops these

Actually - she maybe would have hated all the shoes anyway!!

this is why i love mn....

jareth - they could work. ggirl....if i show her enough brogues on slebs first she may well go for brogues....(better go and buy ok magazine)....i really dont mind what she wears but they have to fit her well, be black and be leather.

im not an ogre really! clarks is easy cos they do the narrow fit in what i thought were trendy ballet styles...i know nothing tho clearly!

top shops the answer- all teens love anything from there.

trip to top shop first then ggirl. i will try and find something there first, with the proviso that if we fail its clarks next!

Vicar, there are other skechers that have that kind of bar across, but are supportive without looking too 'Clarkes' IYKWIM.

tbh i would let her wear anything if it fits and is flat, black and leather.

skechers or brogues. not fussy! ill let her try them. wonder where sells them....will try top shop in york, no idea who sells skechers tho...trip to york upcoming- will google. can also get to selby, doncaster or hull....

YANBU and you don't deserve some of the comments others are posting.

Clarks make good quality shoes. For the most part, Brantano, Matalan, Shoe Zone and Priceless do not.

As my DH always says, when it comes to shoes, buy cheap, buy twice. And it is so true.

Have you tried M&S? They had some nice shoes for older girls there last time I looked.

Vicar, I just wondered, what happened to your feet as you were saying you had poorly fitting shoes at that age. If they are damaged maybe that would help in the negotiations, if they are still ok, then maybe... no harm done? (Another sufferer of school days shoe 'teasing' here, I managed to get the right styles, but the wrong COLOUR.)

Just remembered that saying Gloria Hunniford used to quote when she did the beds advert:
"As my mother used to say, buy a good bed and a good pair of shoes because if you're not in one, you're in the other"
Or words to that effect!!

as a mum no
as a previous 13 year old unfortunately yes....

hate to say it but school shoes are the thin end of the wedge...I vividly remember arguing about almost every single thing I wore from the age of 13 to about 17....sorry!

this thread has bought back alot of memories. Every august sat in the clarks shop arguing with my mum about shoes.

As an adult my feet are messed up, they are a funny shape and have lumps where there shouldnt be. My mum is adiment its because i stopped wearing clarks at 15 and started wearing more fashionable shoes, and then when i started working wearing high heals and pointy shoes...well she was adiment untill just over 3 months ago she gave birth to my little sister who has exactly the same shape feet as me with the same lumps and bums i have and shes never worn any shoes, ever!

My DD had those clarks shoes last year-when she was in Y4.....Take her into Schuh, they had plenty of black leather shoes that were acceptable to both me and DD (who has her father's long, super-skinny feet).

oh but my dd will wear clarks because my mum was right, they were comfortable, sensible and practical!

dd, about to start secondary, has reluctantly agreed to these (although I suspect the elastic may 'snap by itself' soon):

www.startriteshoes.com/olivia She doesn't know they're startrites - shop sells a range of brands (sneaky mummy emoticon).

Despite years of sensible Clarks she walks terribly, but these actually made her walk better. The Clarks ballet pump style were very tight on her - to her delight! They're quite long so would suit a narrow foot I wouldthink.

Vicar - for gawds sake woman, pick your battles!

FWIW I think Clarks shoes are rubbish anyway. They are not particularly well made.

Plus, do you really want to brave the hellhole that is Clarks in late August?

You don't have to let her wear daps from Matalan - there is a middle ground. When DD was this age I got her some shoes from Jones Bootmakers, they were loafer types. Try there - they have a brilliant selection of well made shoes.

DD is 14 now and I have yet to experience this year's delightful experience of shoe shopping, I am tempted to give her £40 and go and sit in Waterstones whislt she shops for them herself!

Just back down on this one, it will only end in tears else. I remember my gran getting me these HIDEOUS lace up brogues from Freeman Hardy Willis. I used to take them off on the way to school and wear my old (too small) shoes rather than have the in-crowd take the piss. Seconadry schools is shit enough without having inbuilt bully targets.

My 13 year old has just chosen these for her school shoes.

Her school is incredibly picky and ballet style shoes are not allowed because they don't have a proper sole or heel but these sort of get around that.

My battles will start in a few weeks though when she's changed her mind and the start of term uniform inspections are over. She'll be clamouring for £3 primark pumps that are worn through in a week.

Just the school bag nightmare to endure now.

I was the only girl not wearing platform shoes in the 70's. I BEGGED my Mum to allow me some, eventually she caved in but I was a bit late to the party tbh. This is normal teenage stuff, just wait until something really serious comes up. Dont sweat the small stuff. Clarks are not the only shoes around. My 13 year tells me off for always trying M&S first. He wants to look at Nike, Holster etc...

I work in a clarks store and there is no way my eldest son will have shoes from there he's twelve and he wants what all his friends have, unfortunately this is timberlands.
I was actually quite impressed however last year as the pair he had lasted the full school year so i have allowed him them again.
I thn a slong as the shoes you buy are leather and you check the fit correctly then you can't go fayr wrong.
My middle son however is 5 and he is going back to school in clarks.

YABVU everyone else will be in Kangaroos or Rocket Dogs you meanie.

yanbu.

i could send you a picture of my DHs mangled, twisted toes from wearing badly fitting shoes as a child to show your DD if it will help

i think a bit of(possible) teasing is worth it not to end up with mangled feet.

i have very narrow feet too and if the bullys at school laughed at my sensible shoes i just rolled my eyes and shrugged. they got bored of it very quickly.

YABU, it's mean to make her wear horrible clarks at her age. Try Topshop, Jones, Ravel Schuh for similar.

My dd is only 4 and already doesn't wear Clarsk they're shit. Horrible designs and not amazing quality for the price. I go to independent retailers, Jones, ocassionally sefridges, Monsoon or wait until we go to France on holiday in the summer and get her shoes from there.

Clarks/startrite=grim imo.

FWIW there are a few European makes such as Aster, Agnetha Ruiz de la Prada etc. Also Hush Puppies do reasonable shoes for children.

Shuh stores will properly fit a shoe and it will be trendy as well ... so there.

eg

www.schuh.co.uk/womens-black-kangaroos-sky-ballet/1305717020

Sorry, but I think you should let her off wearing Clarks.

I still have the psychological scars from wearing not-cool things as a teen and being made fun of .