Child walking in London with no shoes on

[Wiltingasparagusfern]

Look, it takes a lot for me to judge another mum. This one, who lives locally to me, is walking around with a barefoot three year old though. I’ve seen them three times, each time the little boy has been barefoot on the pavement (his mum has shoes on). We live in a nice neighbourhood, but there is still dog and fox shit, rubbish, broken glass, fag ends etc. I’ve never seen a needle but I haven’t exactly been looking.

I grew up in quite a hippieish community where kids were barefoot a lot but that was in the countryside. This is zone 2 London! AIBU to raise an eyebrow?

The child isn’t obviously disabled or neurodivergent, but perhaps he just won’t wear shoes? Is this a thing? I expect she is aware of tetanus but maybe she isn’t? Do some other cultures or demographics do this?

The child seems otherwise well looked after as does the baby in the sling but every time I see them I am shocked anew. Or maybe I’m just a judgy busybody who needs to mind her own business but I am wondering if anyone else has come across this.

It took me until the weather dropped to -10 last year to get one of mine to keep his shoes on. In our neighbourhood it usually isn’t the battle I choose in good weather, but you can see them sticking out of my pockets.

Using an inhaler is comparatively easy you do it and it's done till next time hours later. Shoes is every minute of the day, a fight to get them on and a minute later they're off, then a fight to get them on and a minute later their off, ad infinitum. If it was a big deal I would let them walk barefoot and wash their feet when they get home. An inhaler they have to take!

I remember being on a night out, guy friend pulled me aside and said ‘That is why you never take your shoes off when you’re out right!’ Points to a girl sobbing while ppl are trying to remove curved broken glass from her heel, I’ll never forget it. Totally understand you judging the parent unlike the child is aware of the dangers

They can get it wrong too.

Perhaps he wasn't obviously neurodivergent because he want wearing his I AM AUTISTIC badge to appease the judgey public

Very unusual.

I would guess that the child doesn't like wearing shoes or (much less likely) the parents might think it good for foot development to walk barefoot..... given the risks, I don't think many parents would think this a good idea.

I wonder if he goes barefoot in winter?

Don’t be fucking ridiculous.

I don’t know op. It’s hard isn’t, to tell what the story is here. Could be fine, could be worrying.

My initial reaction is that he is neurodiverse. The mother probably struggles to get him to wear shoes.

I grew up in bare feet, it was just more comfortable yesterday I'm autistic but totally irrelevant. I alternated life in a village and a city. Didn't matter to me. My parents tried everything to get me to wear shoes. They had to give up. If they wanted to spend a fortune on shoes only to have me sling them over a fence or into a river then they're fools. Which I did on many occasion. The doctor told me parents to let me be that if I went barefoot I'd build up a thick layer of skin. Which I did. Kids are resilient even at 3 they'll eat h where they stand as much as they can. It's not your place to judge parenting. He is clearly looked after but lots for a different lifestyle. What's the difference between a hippy lifestyle and a city. Just different threats. Sharp rock and stone, nettles brambles, thorns, cow manure, slurry etc are all risks of the countryside, even in the cleanest of areas hot tarmac can be a risk. But if the kid builds up the layer of skin on his feet it will protect him. It did many years. I still now prefer to go barefoot at most wear lightweight slippers or slip ones and I'm 44 now.

I would be raising my eyebrows as well with you. Dont get me wrong, my DD HATES shoes, so she is often in our garden without bothering to put her shoes/wellies on, splashing about etc. But when we leave our house to go into town I INSIST that she wears shoes. She understands that things can get into her feet, glass/ thorns etc. I would be worried about all manner of things on a street in London!

My son is 10 and autistic. One of his things is to not wear shoes. He's allowed to when we go to the park, around our village and places where it seems "safe".
We insist on shoes in shops, cafes, buildings and obviously where it could be unsafe.

I spend a lot of my day managing this. We have wipes everywhere as he needs his feet cleaned constantly when we go from one "allowed" place to a "not allowed" one.

He has a "feet shower" twice a day at least.

It's really frustrating but we I do it because it seems to help him regulate. Going back to school is going to be a challenge with socks and closed shoes!

Maybe that boy you see is going through something similar?

You have no idea why the child isn't wearing shoes.

I live in NZ and saw some kids running around barefoot at one of the local primary schools last week. It's winter, it's frosty. Feet toughen up - I can remember wandering around on frosty ground with no shoes myself when I was a kid. If it doesn't bother the kids then good on their parents for leaving them to it - it most certainly doesn't make them "shitty parents".

This has reminded me of Brummie legend Pete the feet.
Pete said that whenever he wore shoes or socks, the restricting feeling made him feel angry, so by letting them be free, he also felt free and calm.
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/moseley-legend-pete-feet-given-15820457

......dog and fox shit, rubbish, broken glass, fag ends etc.....

Lovely

Neurodivergence is an excuse for everything these days , if your kid didn't like pants would you let them go out naked? No you bloody wouldn't you would not go out or you would make them wear pants wether they wanted to or not. As parents its our job to teach our kids some things are just not negotiable and certain things are necessary nd is very often used as cop out for shit parenting

They might just be from NZ. It’s quite normal, especially for children and even in winter. And for all those people worried about dirty feet inside, they can easily be washed when you get home, or if you have lazy teenagers they might just put socks on to keep the floors clean 😂

Meh, I'm from NZ, me and my kids hardly ever wear shoes. No problems.

I don’t think your streets are fully comparable to the filthy state of a lot of London ones, though.

• Being "an excuse for everything" only evidences its realising is a massively needed breakthrough for liberty
• and does not stop it being evidenced true
• naked is not a choice by law, and safety issues in impacts on others arise when anyone proposes to change that. But Victorian and office overdressing did not work, were impractical, because discomfort is impractical
• parents are fallible, and all who want to monopolise power want to misuse power. All through history, all power only ever works constructively when exercised accountably and listeningly, not dictatorially and ego-trippingly

Sensible parenting. 👏👏👏