Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To let DD go barefoot in a clean park?

26 replies

Linguaphile · 13/08/2014 22:20

Took my 11.5 month olds to the park today. It was a very clean little park with a fence, that soft rubber-like surface, etc. Not a speck of broken glass or dog poo in sight; not even pebbles around. My girls are just learning how to walk, and since it's been so lovely out, I let them go barefoot as often as possible; a clean park seems an acceptable place to do this.

A woman who had been very nice and chatty with me whilst DTs were in swings suddenly went very silent with a disapproving/gobsmacked stare
when she watched me place my barefoot DD on the ground and let her walk around. She told her own children loudly to make sure to seep their shoes on.

AIBU to be annoyed? If it was anything but squeaky clean and tidy, I would have put something on dds' feet... but it was immaculate, not a pebble or stick in sight, and dds really shouldn't be wearing shoes yet as they're still a bit wobbly. Just felt a bit like she was heading straight home to phone up the authorities and report me for abuse. :(

OP posts:
Original poster
Linguaphile · 13/08/2014 22:23

I should add, other children were already barefoot, so I obviously wasn't the only parent who thought it was okay!

OP posts:
ArgyMargy · 13/08/2014 22:25

So ignore her. YANBU .

wheresthelight · 13/08/2014 22:25

personally i wouldn't as glass shards can be tiny and do a lot of damage, but the other woman was an arse! what you do with your kids is entirely your own business!

Idontseeanyicegiants · 13/08/2014 22:25

YANBU, my lot take their shoes off at the drop of a hat anyway (as do I) and I would certainly let my slightly older DD take hers off if it was safe to do so.
Some people are funny about feet.

SisterMoonshine · 13/08/2014 22:26

Haha
She was just thinking 'oh no, now DD's going to want her shoes off'.
I don't see how she offended you in any way.

lightgreenglass · 13/08/2014 22:26

YANBU.

I let my 11 month old roam over our local park barefoot and there are sticks, pebbles and bits on the ground.

ADHDNoodles · 13/08/2014 22:27

Welcome to parenthood. Everything is criticized.

Ignore her. Let your DCs run barefoot.

TooMuchToDoTooLittleInclinatio · 13/08/2014 22:27

Love - your girls are 11 months old, you have YEARS of this ahead of you, just ignore the daft bats in life! Grin

You are their Mum, you get to decide stuff like this & sod what anyone else thinks!

(In case you really aren't sure - barefoot in the park, especially such a clean and tidy one, is perfectly fine!)

ThatBloodyWoman · 13/08/2014 22:28

We went camping recently and my youngest dd barely ever had anything on her feet.

Its healthy to let them go barefoot in a risk assessed way.

bellybuttonfairy · 13/08/2014 22:29

My children often run around barefoot. I remember being a child and used to always take my shoes off. My dc are obviously the same.

We have just come home from camping in france and ds1 (age 2) barely wore shoes for the whole holiday.

Choochootrain1 · 13/08/2014 22:30

I wouldn't let mine. And if I saw yours might tell my child not to, as wouldn't want them to copy.

But wouldn't have any problem with you allowing yours... Just my kid wouldn't put them back on to walk home and may hide them/lose them and they cost a small fortune.

Are you sure you didn't read too much into this?

RiverTam · 13/08/2014 22:36

I do get the impression sometimes that other parents get annoyed if you (me) let your DC take their shoes off, because they don't want theirs to. DD (4.5) will take her shoes and socks off at the drop of a hat. Only problem we've ever had is getting splinters from that play-bark stuff, so she does keep them on there.

Lovelydiscusfish · 13/08/2014 22:37

I have always allowed dd to go barefoot wherever she wants (she is obsessed with the state - especially on grass). I too have faced the wrath of parents and grandparents of dc who want to do what dd is doing. My dd talks frequently about these incidents (she is only 2.4 - these things loom large for her).
I would say trust your instincts. I was always barefoot as a child, and am whenever I can be as an adult, and am therefore delighted that my daughter loves to feel the world beneath her feet. If other adults don't want the same for their dc, then that is fair enough by me, but I am not about to deny dd this (tiny) awakening experience due to anxieties of other parents which I don't share.

HicDraconis · 13/08/2014 22:41

Hope Ms CatsBumFaceWoman doesn't visit NZ then, children here are mostly barefoot on all manner of surfaces! Very few of them are as clean and gentle on feet as you are describing :)

Seeing children with shoes on in the summer is a rarity - come to think of it, occasionally seeing an adult with shoes on is a rarity!

WorraLiberty · 13/08/2014 22:44

Are you sure you didn't read too much into her look?

She might have just been panicking that her kids were going to remove their shoes, that's all.

Original poster
Linguaphile · 13/08/2014 23:03

Yes, hopefully I was overreacting! I don't mind if other people want their kids to keep their shoes on, and I also can see how she was possibly just panicking. Just hard not to read into it when it's such a direct response to what you've just done with your children!

I was constantly barefoot as a child... I think I only ever wore shoes into shops, school or church, so the concept of keeping one's feet protected all the time is a bit foreign to me, especially somewhere so nice! Oh well. grows thicker skin

OP posts:
GlitterBallDancer · 14/08/2014 19:22

You are not being unreasonable! I think people make far too much out of going barefoot - it's very natural!

DoJo · 14/08/2014 21:38

I agree that it sounds like she just didn't want her children barefoot - that's not necessarily a comment on your parenting a there are a million reasons why she might prefer hers to keep their shoes on which wouldn't be in any way a criticism of your choice to let yours go without.

StealthPolarBear · 14/08/2014 21:42

People are funny about bare feet. As long as there's no obvious poo or glas mine can o what they like. Also people Are obsessed about keeping socks clean. Life is too short to fret about socks! Can someone explain the sock thing please?

Lovelydiscusfish · 14/08/2014 23:04

Funnily enough, was at our local playground today, and dd insisted on bare feet (hers and mine). Mine got prickled quite badly, hers were fine, as she clearly either walks on air, or (and I accept this is more likely) has quite tough soles, for a two year old. And am I bothered? I am not! (Just secretly glad there was no one there to judge us for singing and dancing to our own version of the Mister Bloom song!)

Hurr1cane · 15/08/2014 07:56

I've always walked about barefoot and I do now in my own garden etc. I'd be barefoot all the time if people wouldn't think I was strange.

Nothing penetrates my tough soles due to years of walking around barefoot. DS likes to be barefoot and I let him... Unless I've just cleaned. Then he puts his wellies on and takes them off at the door Wink

blueberryboybait · 15/08/2014 08:14

She would have love me yesterday then, DD2 was barefoot in the market, in the pouring rain. I had given her her wellies, she refused to wear them and took them off and left them in the car, I wasn't standing getting any wetter arguing with her so she got her own way with the proviso she didn't complain if her feet got wet/sore/sticky or if the coffee shop refused to let her in with bare feet. she survived, her feet were dirty but fine, there were no dog poo/glass/pokey stone incidents and we were both happy. She will have to wear school shoes 6 hours a day from September, which I know she will hate.

vvviola · 15/08/2014 08:19

Grin HicDraconis I was just about to suggest that the OP move to NZ, there'd be no disapproving looks here. In fact I probably get more disapproving looks for not letting my DC take their shoes off, or complaining to DD1 when she comes out of school in bare feet again
you can take the girl out of Ireland..

GreenPetal94 · 15/08/2014 10:46

I never let mine unless it was the beach because there was always a big battle about getting the shoes back on to walk home on city centre pavements. But the level of shoes on battle from my youngest was unusual, he gave in after about 9 years

Dutch1e · 15/08/2014 19:11

vvviola I grew up in NZ and was thinking the same thing: you'd be tutted at for leaving shoes on at most playgrounds. parks, beaches, shopping centres