AIBU to think that children walking barefoot is disgusting?

[lopmonkln]

I saw a post of a closed group on F/B and was repulsed but am getting a lot of vitriol for saying that a woman who lets her dd walk around in public spaces sans footwear, besides being idiotically unhygienic, seems to be giving off the illusion that her family is so impoverished that they cannot afford shoes.

Apparently utilization of "homeopathy" is sufficient to keep her offspring healthy and immune to germs and bacteria.

"Wow apparently this needs to be added - yes she is barefoot! No I don't care if you don't think she should be! Yes I would have been too if the sign hadn't said I had to wear them to enter the store. Yes I am aware of the germs on the floor. Yes I also let her go barefoot in some of the poorest areas of northern Mexico and I walked right next to her barefoot as well! So did my husband and my other 2 kids. We even walked around in stores barefoot there. Yes we are healthy, no we don't have parasites because of this. I am trained in homeopathic health care, we take everything we need daily to prevent parasites and have never had them when tested. No I don't need your opinion on my decision to avoid shoes and yes we will all continue to go barefoot every chance we get!! Send me a pm and I will delete it. Tell me off and I will ignore you. This is a crochet page not a judge my parenting page."

Eh?

Double eh?

Triple eh?

Um are you a bit paranoid OP about germs.
As long as there is no obvious hazards for cutting their feet or piles of dog shit, and the context is ok (at a formal event probably not, or somewhere they are likely to get stood on) I have no problem with barefoot children or adults.
Germs wise unless they are then going to lick their feet it's no worse than shoes, actually with small kids, shoes are probably worse because they take them off and then put them in their mouth.

For context I am married to a doctor and am myself immuniocommprosed so I have a healthy respect for germs but am also not paranoid about them.

Don't go to Australia op. Your judgey pants would choke you there.
The poster on FB was an attention seeking, bollocks spewing arse. But most people will give less than zero shits.

Good grief, really? I was brought up on a farm in oz and went around barefoot all the time! Roasting hot summer, yep, frost on the ground....yep. . My immune system must be alright seeing as I travelled Thailand and Cambodia and ate and drank whatever I wanted and didn't get ill. (Mind you, I grew up with water that has since been declared not fit for human consumption unless boiled first!)

I used to walk barefoot all the time as a child and avoid shoes and socks as much as possible.

My cousins moved to the middle of nowhere in Australia aged 7 and 8 and had a choice of no shoes or flip flops for school. I thought this was the best thing ever as a kid!

Unless there are cuts on the feet how are these toilet germs going to penetrate the skin? Osmosis?

No, as long as feet are washed regularly like you wash your hands, I can't see the problem.

I love being barefoot. In the garden, in the park, I don't even mind on a concrete path as long as I look where I'm going. I just do this magical thing called 'washing my feet' at the end of the day.

There's a guy in my town that goes running barefoot along the hardshoulder of the main road and it is covered in stones but he finds it helps him feel rooted somehow. Personally I think he's nuts. I do however walk around barefooted all the time at home, in the garden, on the beach etc as do my kids. It really isnt a problem and it is certainly none of your business

OP you know your skin isn't actually that permeable, right? You could actually stand in a pile of dog crap and it would feel and smell disgusting, but it would do you no harm at all, as long as you didn't lick your feet or have open wounds on them.

My kid play out barefoot all the time. Ride their bikes too. We can afford shoes
They enjoy it and nothing terrible has happened.

so what are you all crocheting? socks?
I'm very jealous - I can't get the hang of it at all, I'll stick to knitting.

Err... what?
My DD2 hates wearing shoes. She’s often barefoot in the garden and in parks etc. Unless she’s got cuts on her feet, how would germs get in? I wash her feet when she comes inside.
We can afford shoes . In fact she’s got loads of pairs.
Why do you care what other people wear on their feet??

I don't think you're going to catch anything walking round barefoot, but unless it's on grass in your garden, you stand a high chance of at the least, standing on painful gravel or stones, at the worst broken glass and dog shit

When I went to new zealand it was rare to see a child actually wearing shoes, they all seemed to be barefoot. As long as they are not going to injure their feet on glass etc I don't see a problem - isn't it supposed to be good for healthy foot development?

YANBU. It's really gross. I wonder if she would still feel the same way about her homeopathic protection from illness of her kid stepped on a needle and caught aids. This is just Avery stupid thing to do. It's one thing if you are inside or in your garden which you know is clean but walking around Mexico barefoot is just asking for sone horrible illness or just a good old fashioned infection.

I just do this magical thing called 'washing my feet' at the end of the day.

I hope you don't wash them in a public sink?

You do know that the grossest part of a public toilet is the door handle right? Also these sluggish toilet germs of yours have no way of ever getting around except by hitching a ride on bare feet?

I think you've got bigger issues around "grossness" OP that you may need to think about. Also don't visit Asia - because we often take our shoes off - esp in temples and mosques and even churches in my hometown :)

OCD OP?

"Crochet page"

Barefoot is fine. There was a whole play written about it.

I am another that spent a lot of my childhood barefoot. I never had an issue but that was the countryside. I think in inner city environments shoes would be better (as so much dog poo and vomit) so I guess it depends on the environment and is for each parent to judge for their own child.

I go barefoot loads. I've even gone in public toilets barefoot, but it's OK, because I don't put my feet in my mouth.

I let my kids walk around barefoot too.

You sound mad.

Ha ha I am New Zealander by the way. Just read a few posts above! 🙂👍