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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be fed up with the amounts of shoes everyone needs

161 replies

dealer · 13/05/2011 21:53

Ds - school shoes, football boots, running spikes, nice trainers, scruffy trainers, wellies, flip-flops
Dd1 - school shoes, PE trainers, home trainers, white lace-up plimsols, black lace-up plimsols, dressy shoes, beachy shoes, wellies
Dd2 - trainers, sandals, wellies, white lace-up plimsols, black lace-up plimsols, nursery indoor shoes

That's an obscene amount! Various rants involved. We need so many pairs of plimsols for dance shows. They must be lace-up, so they can put different colour laces in. Dd1 has co-ordination problems and dd2 is too young, so they can't use these for PE or nursery because they have to do them themselves. Therefore need velcro ones too

Wellies, not particularly well used, but you can guarantee that as soon as someone doesn't have a pair that fits, they will immediately have a trip come up with wellies essential, despite the fact the ground is bone-dry and no rain forecast.

Dressy shoes, again the minute they don't fit (but haven't been worn for 6 months) you get an invite to a wedding. Dd1 can't use school shoes, because the only school shoes we could get supportive enough are like black trainers.

Running spikes, ds is very talented at long jump, but rarely gets the opportunity to do it, but on the odd occasion he does spikes are the difference between 1st and 10th place.

And of course all this stuff gets grown out of continuously. Do the rest of you have the same constant demand for shoes? I personally own 2 pairs of shoes.

OP posts:
Happymm · 13/05/2011 21:56

Shock at dealer only having two pairs of shoes.

ChippingIn · 13/05/2011 21:56

Imelda you're not - have a Wine

Kids need shoes. Kids grow fast. It's crap - but it's life.

Original poster
dealer · 13/05/2011 21:57

I knew that'd shock to be honest.
One pair of trainers, and one pair of reefs.

OP posts:
troisgarcons · 13/05/2011 21:57

Have to be honest ..... school shoes, casual trainers, specific sports shoes ....

never owned a wellie in my life, neither have the kids

Running spikes, ds is very talented at long jump, but rarely gets the opportunity to do it, but on the odd occasion he does spikes are the difference between 1st and 10th place.

ah well - if he were actually any good you would have him in an athletics club...... "talented" in a fishpond isn't cutting the mustard in the real world

Original poster
dealer · 13/05/2011 21:58

I know 2 is low, but surely most of you don't own 7 pairs, which seems to be the average for my kids.

OP posts:
Original poster
dealer · 13/05/2011 22:00

He is in an athletics club, originally scouted for distance running, but seems to have lost it a bit on that front.
It means that most events are cross-country, or track only, there seem to be very few opportunites for field events round here, and he can only train in a pit for about 3 months of the year at the uni.

OP posts:
thisisyesterday · 13/05/2011 22:01

my kids have:

ds1- school shoes, non-school shoes, sandals, wellies
ds2- shoes, sandals, wellies
ds3- shoes, sandals, wellies

me- 3 pairs "nice" shoes, 2 pairs DM's, 1 pair ancient converse, sandals

i win! i win!

curlycat · 13/05/2011 22:02

oh god i've just thought about my dd's (11) shoe cupboard and i'm not even going to admit on here how many pairs she has else i'll get shot

Original poster
dealer · 13/05/2011 22:03

See that seems much more reasonable. It's all this specialist malarkey thats a pain, but I guess that's what I get for encouraging activities.

OP posts:
GypsyMoth · 13/05/2011 22:03

i use sports direct.......not just sports shoes,all shoes

cheap and last as long as it takes for them to grow out of them!

Original poster
dealer · 13/05/2011 22:03

I was replying to 'thisisyesterday'

OP posts:
thisisyesterday · 13/05/2011 22:05

to be fair, mine are only 6, 3 and 2... am sure the number will increase as they get older! eep

Ninxy · 13/05/2011 22:06

I have brown and black short boot things, blue-ish trainers, mid-calf black boots for leggings and silver strappy things for going out in summer. They are all about three years old Grin

Not a shoe-person.

Oh and I bought hideous Navy gumboots last year just before the snow. Best purchase ever. I could go out and buy wine essentials such as bread and milk without breaking my neck.

Ninxy · 13/05/2011 22:07

DD always has several pairs but DS usually just the one.

WhatsWrongWithYou · 13/05/2011 22:09

This has been an ever-increasing nightmare in our house - especially since DD is now a size 6 and DS1 is a 12, so there are 4 sets of adult-sized shoes, plus DS2 who's a size 3.

We've just taken delivery of a 6 ft long storage bench to go in the dining room by the back door, which I am confident will change my life. The DCs and DH will no longer waltz in and drop the shoes by the back door - oh no, now they'll open the lid and put them in as soon as they get in, whilst I watch from the sofa eating bon bons.

scaryteacher · 13/05/2011 22:09

'but surely most of you don't own 7 pairs,'...well, I have to admit to way more than 7 pairs of shoes before you even get on to my boots. I have black shoes, blue shoes, a couple of pairs of red ones, high heels, mid heels, low heels, shoes for summer, deck shoes, evening shoes, dressy shoes but sadly, no Jimmy Choos. I have (in my defence) small feet, so when I find a pair of 3 to 3.5s I buy them, especially in the sale, and store them for later.

Deaddei · 13/05/2011 22:11

I have more than 20 pairs of shoes/boots...to be fair all my boots are between 1 and 6 years old.
I am an unusual size so it's a case of if they fit I buy, in all colours.
Dd at 14 has school shoes, cheap ballet pumps, 2 pairs converses, birches and flip-flops, as well as trainers and wells.
Ds (12) has about 4 pairs of trainers and flip-flops.

ginmakesitallok · 13/05/2011 22:11

DD1 has her school shoes, trainers, gym shoes (which were only a fiver and we never see them so they don't count), ballet shoes and tap shoes (which don't count casue she only uses them an hour a week) and a pair of baseball boot things. DD2 only has two pairs.

I've got loads - but most are old, I've had my DMs longer than I've had DC.

WhatsWrongWithYou · 13/05/2011 22:11

I have quite a few pairs, but mainly keep them in the wardrobe, with just two or three everyday pairs stored downstairs.

Deaddei · 13/05/2011 22:11

Birkies even.

CHOOGIRL · 13/05/2011 22:12

OP I definitely own more than 7 pairs of shoes Grin

Original poster
dealer · 13/05/2011 22:12

And I forgot (somehow) ds's cadet boots, which are about the size of wardrobes, and stalk me round the house trying to trip me up.

OP posts:
FabbyChic · 13/05/2011 22:13

My kids have never owned wellies.

They went through to the age of 18 with only ever having one pair of trainers, and one pair of shoes for school, so two pairs.

Now my son is 18 he has just the one pair, his brother though who is 23 has about 8 pairs.

cyb · 13/05/2011 22:13

How can you POSSIBLY only own 2 pairs of shoes? Do you only own 2 pairs of trousers as well? What if you have to go somewhere dressy or its really hot or you need shoes for work

I dont understand

theglove · 13/05/2011 22:13

wow, thisisyesterday, you're organised!

DS will wear only one pair this year, his school shoes which he loves. He does have wellies and I tried him with others, but none are as comfortable apparently. They were expensive, nearly £60, but I'll save and buy again next September.
I have loads of cheap shoes thanks to Sports DirectSmile and the fact that I find it hard to throw shoes away