Why do they refuse to take their shoes off?

[SparkleFly]

What is it with the older generation, that they absolutely hate taking their shoes off in people's houses? My parents are late 70's and never take theirs off, if I suggest it they look uncomfortable and just ignore me. Same with MIL who will occasionally do an awkward check of the soles of her shoes before carrying on through my house wearing them. My 4 year old has been brought up to always remove them in our house or anyone else's, so he'll occasionally ask me why nanny doesn't take hers off, which is difficult to explain, giving that the real reason is that they don't give a sh**

Seriously though, what's with the lack of respect, especially when they can see everyone else doing it.

It's not weird at all. You go walking fuck knows where in fuck knows what and then come and walk it into my house where my kids play on the floor, no thanks.

I mean yeah, that’s partly why I don’t have pets 🤢

I counter to you, do shoes on people put their shoes on when they get up even if they’re not leaving the house, in fear of their feet touching their presumably filthy floors? 😂 no, of course not. Show me a person who does not contradict themselves in some way….. quite obviously, there are many shoe-free houses who do have pets.

Me and DS2 never wear shoes or even socks normally in the house. DP and DS1 wear slippers or socks.

We have 4 cats and a dog. None ever have visible mankiness on their paws!

If I have an aversion to anything, it's someone's bare sweaty feet on my floor.

But I recognise that that's my issue, so I don't say 'please keep your sandals on' when visitors arrive and choose to take their shoes off.

My FIL has fungal toenails on every toe. I feel sick if he puts his stinky feet on my floor.

show me a person who does not contradict themselves...

@BingoMarieHeeler , yeah, but it just amuses me the vigour with which some people state self-righteously that it's "disgusting" to have shoes on indoors, whilst happily allowing their cats and dogs the run of the place. Unless they're washing their pets' paws after every walk in the park, they're gonna be full of germs, so their homes are not as germ-free as they believe 😱

Shocked you’re saying they don’t give a shit, when you don’t give a shit about their comfort, which is way worse.

stop asking them. Clean your carpet.

I'm almost their age and have bad plantar fasciitis. I can't walk without shoes. I'm sure they also have a good reason that has nothing to do with disrespecting you. Have a little compassion for the infirmities of old age; you will be where they are sooner than you think.

Also lots of elderly people's feet are distorted and unsightly, visible bare foot, through socks and tights. It's embarrassing.

I think it's dirty and unhygienic, I don't want anyone to take their shoes off in my house (only if their shoes are really, really uncomfortable on them). I don't want to see your feet, breathe your foot odour, or have your sweaty feet on my carpet. Keep your shoes ON you grot, is what I say!

Elderly people don't want to fuck around with putting shoes on, then off, then back on again than off. Too much effort for me, let alone an elderly person with arthritis. Heck I'm in my late 40s and I'm already starting to have problems getting my shoes on. I don't mind if someone suggest if I feel comfortable I can take my shoes off, as long as it's an offer to make their guest comfortable, because most people would feel uncomfortable taking their shoes off in someone's house; but if I say no (because I can't be fucked), then I'd expect them to respect that. In my life I've only come across two (different) people who expected us to take our shoes off. Both cases they were extremely posh, and carpet white. Which I didn't understand because you know, foot sweat/cells/odour transported to the carpet - it would make more sense, logically to keep shoes on. But I was so shocked at the request, that neither times I thought to enquire why.

Yes, my mum's in her late 70s and a few of her toes are buckled and twisted under due to arthritis, a couple of other toes are twisted at odd angles. She wouldn't have felt comfortable exposing her toes, or leaving her feet without protection. And that's not to go into the odd sensation of an unknown carpet/floor on her toes.

Edited to add that mum even wears shoes inside the house in her own home. She has Peripheral Neuropathy and it feels very uncomfortable/hurts her feet to go barefoot. Even in her kitchen, loungeroom, bedroom.

I think it's so rude to expect or ask people to remove their shoes in your home.
We had one friend at school whose mother wouldn't let us in her house at all, we had to talk on the doorstep or in that garden and another who had plastic sheets on her furniture.

We are shoes off at home because we like it, but I will go outside in my bare feet and come back in to wander around the house. I don't get the difference.

I personally wouldn't want peoples smelly bare of socked feet where my children play. Lots of people have pretty rank feet.

Wait til you get to that age. If you're lucky to. Pain, aches, arthritis, balance problems, sight issues, hearing issues - amongst all that? Retail workers wanting to sell you packages, plans and crap you don't want or need, let alone understand. Talking about 'apps' and technology you can't follow, so you think they are treating you like a fool and conning you. They wish you'd talk in a straight language and sort out their problem then and there, without all the bullshit technical jargon. They want a quiet, simple, uncomplicated life and not have to struggle so much to get any query sorted. I'm in my late 40s and I'm starting to reach the 'oh will just fucken sort my problem without spending hours and quoting tech and me and needing me to be ok with the call recorded and then you go off and confer with 7 other people to solve what should be a simple problem.' To think it's fixed, only it's not and you have to go into the actual store/office a week later. And that's me at my (relatively young) age.

They're difficult and rude? You fucken bet they are! I promise you, you will be too, if/when you get to their age. Just you wait.

Why should she have to? If people want to invite her around, they should be good hosts, and not make such rude demands of people. Going to that extent, just to see someone is batshit crazy. And very, very rude of the person whose house it is. That person should just allow her to keep her shoes on. It won't harm the person, but otherwise could inconvenience the guest. Just be a good host, and stop badgering your guest over shoes. It's not that difficult.

The rude one is the person asking their guests to remove their shoes. Posh, superficial and rude. If you have a door mat they can wipe their shoes on, that should be good enough! If you are so rude that you expect a guest to disrobe their shoes to enter your precious home, maybe you don't deserve guests at all! Get over yourself.

I'm in my 40s and would currently struggle to take my shoes off in someone's house unless they had somewhere for me to sit down and do so. I'm waiting for knee surgery. Its an effort to get shoes on and off

Bathroom floors can be unhygienic, men sometimes 'miss' the mark when peeing, any number of reasons. But going to the loo barefoot in someone's house is not a nice thought.

All the more reason with young babies to keep your shoes ON and keep feet sweat/cells odour etc inside your shoes, and nice wiping off on the carpet. In fact, having babies crawling around is more reason to keep the shoes on!

Thankfully we're not in Japan.

Bare feet are filthy, shoes are clean and protect the feet.

You, are the one being rude.

My Mother does this, She would go crazy if I walked in her lounge with my shoes on though, not even allowed to have a drink in there incase I spill it.🙄

Could I just say VERRUCAS.

Everyone I know, including business have a door mat at the entrance that you can wipe your feet in, so, no, you are not dragging 'filth from outside'. That's ridiculous. Walking your sweaty, stinky bare feet and skin cells all over the carpet is what is disgusting/unhygienic! Removing shoes is filthy dirty!

My MIL is 87 and through the 40 years I've known her has always brought a pair of lightweight wedge mules with her which she changes into as soon as she enters a house. She carries a small handbag and a small straw 'shopper' type bag which contains the mules, an umbrella and a chiffon scarf.

Maybe you haven't heard of door mats, to wipe your feet on? Shoes are infamously more hygienic than sweaty smelly feet. Not having shoes on is filthy and unhygienic.

I guess you too have also not heard of an invention called door mats that you wipe your feet on. I have never, ever, ever heard of any one having dog poo or chewing gum or their shoes. Where do people come up with these insane fantasies.