...to want to send DSS to school barefoot for the last 2 weeks of term? (joke - sort of...)

[Enfyshedd]

Need to get this out of my system...

DSS2 had a new pair or school shoes last September which lasted until just after the Easter holidays (not bad for a 6-7 y/o boy). They were pretty tatty by that point so we decided to buy him a new pair to at least last him the end of the year, and hopefully into the autumn term (foot growth withstanding). New shoes were duly bought in early May - teflon leather coated, felt like a decent hard sole, looked pretty sturdy.

The new shoes have been destroyed. Not scuffed. I mean destroyed.

On both shoes, he has worn away the entire tread on the sole & heel, worn through the insole in the heel so there's a bare patch over an inch round, kept wearing them with the back of the shoe under his heel so the back have collapsed and the stitching broken, and on one foot scuffed the top so much the stitching has been broken/worn away and the bit around the front and the bit over the top are coming apart from each other.

How can one child cause so much damage to one pair of shoes in leass than 2 months? The last pair he had weren't anywhere near as bad as this after 8 months!!

Seriously, I'd be considering steel toecap workboots for next year if they did them in his size...

Where are they from? I'd be attempting a return tbh.

To clarify - if they are falling apart at the seams rather than just worn out a bit, then they aren't fit for purpose.

I'd also take em back, my DD's shoes have lasted 10 months, Clarke's shoes, never had an issue.

I agree with Horry though not with her choice of GH novels that the shoes should last longer than this.

I have taken shoes back after six months with no quibble, when the upper came apart from the sole. Children's shoes take a beating, particularly school shoes which are worn nearly every day, and should be well made.

I have hot glue gunned my ds's shoes to last the last 2w - he's 5 and new shoes now may well not fit for much of new school year.

Probably the shoes were poor quality.

However as you have mentioned:

On both shoes, he has worn away the entire tread on the sole & heel, worn through the insole in the heel so there's a bare patch over an inch round

it may be worth checking out his walking, check he doesn't have flat feet or another foot problem that may be causing him to wear out the shoe more than normal.

I would just put any shoes on him.

DS has wrecked his last pair of school trousers and he is now wearing shorts.

at Sanity who has clearly never heard Richard Armitage reading the audiobook ::shivers deliciously::

Also, I am short with a tall husband, stammer (not as badly as Lady Rule), and have dark brows ruthlessly plucked , so it is very apt.

I wonder what he's doing in the playground. My sons at one point played a "game" which involved scraping your toes along the tarmac.

You could send him in sandals. It's going to be warm anyway, and if you're wearing sandals you can't scrape your toes along.

Can't remember if I got them from Tesco or Asda - the shoes are that trashed, I can't make a positive identification!

One of the problems is that he keeps bloody wearing them to go out to play after school. I mean, what's the point of buying him trainers when he doesn't wear them to play?

If he had a problem with his feet, I would have expected last year's and the first pair of this year's school shoes not to have lasted as long as they did. I splashed out on M&S shoes for last year - they lasted the whole school year. Couldn't get ones he flippin' well liked in his size for this year

our school was happy to let dd wear plimsolls for the last 3 weeks of term last year...in fact the dep head said it would be daft to buy some just before the summer break..

Pumps are fine for last 2 weeks. No teacher in their right mind would expect new shoes.
I know some who have worn pumps for the full half term. Its fair enough as most kids grow more in summer than other times of the year, apparentely

Enyshedd, that's true but foot problems can develop and worsen over time, especially in a child as they are constantly growing. I would take a close look at him walking, just to rule it out.

However as you have just told us your shoes came from Tesco/Asda, I think you have answered your own question.

Like many things, you get what you pay for. A pair of high quality shoes e.g. from Clarks will cost twice as much and last twice as long. Buying cheap shoes is a false economy, as you have to replace them much more frequently.

Also, you say you couldn't get M&S shoes that he liked. If the shoes fit, are comfortable to wear, and match the school regulations, buy them. His personal opinion is not important. He should be grateful he is having things he needs bought for him. Some children cannot afford shoes at all.

frogspoon, I spent nearly 10 years in a relationship with twat ExP who was a shoe repairer and used to drum into me how to check the quality of a pair of shoes. Clarks really aren't worth the money these days found out to my cost when he couldn't resole a really nice pair of ankle boots because the rubber on the shoe soles had too high an oil content and he couldn't guarantee the new soles would stick. When I checked the childrens shoes in Clarks, there wasn't a pair under £40/45 that seemed to be hard wearing enough. I spent half that amount last year on the M&S ones which lasted a year. In any case, there's no problem with DSS2's walking as long as he not messing about never known a boy to skip as much as he does - no wonder he trips over so often.

I know I skimped getting a really good quality pair of shoes, but the soles seemed to be pretty decent quality when I checked them. Really disappointed how fast and easily he's been able to trash them.

Believe me, next time he's getting the M&S shoes in his size whether he likes them or not. He's just seen me looking at the shoes and pouted when I told him that he isn't getting new shoes before September.