Not wearing shoes

[k8875506]

My daughter is an ordinary , out going, curious, energetic girl. I guess the only odd thing about her is that she does not change out of her school uniform unlike her friends, but guess that is not unusual.

Recently she has decided that she doesn't want to wear shoes, expecting this to be a phase I just said OK. MOST people seem OK with it, get the odd comment or stare but no big deal, apart from my mother who thinks it is really strange and worries what people will think. We went to Blackpool for a weekend and she kept pointing out everyone else is wearing footwear. She got really upset at a wedding a month ago when my daughter arrived at the evening reception barefoot.

Someone reported me to the school and I got called in by the head, she said she was concerned and didn't seem happy when I told her I wasn't.

Anyone see any issue?

I'd be more concerned from a safety point of view. She must be at primary school ? because I can't see a secondary school allowing this.

I was at a garden centre yesterday and there was a girl about 13 who was barefoot. I did look because her feet looked very dirty!

As long as she will wear shoes when it isn't safe to be barefoot, such as if there could be glass, needles, dog poo, then I don't see the issue.

How old is your daughter?

Is she going to school barefoot?

It's a bit of a safety issue if she's walking the streets barefoot imo.

she wears shoes to school, but once out of school she kicks them off

She is 11, sorry missed that out,

Are her shoes uncomfortable ? If she has unusual feet, wider than usual so they rub or narrower so her feet slide about and put strain on her ankles, she needs to get some shoes that fit. I don’t know whether Clark’s still measure kids feet, I’ve had some good advice in sports shops as well.

she’s going to need shoes in the winter.

Can you confirm, in Blackpool, was she barefoot walking round the town? Or on the sand?

At the wedding did she have shoes which she later removed (when dancing or whatever)?

If she wears shoes to school, what business did the HT have calling you in?

Presumably the HT has a safeguarding concern if the child is barefoot around the streets all day when it's not suitable.

Ds was habitually barefoot outside of school until we moved to the UK.

He found shoes squashed his toes together so I had to buy them two sizes too big then new ones when they had the normal amount of growing room left. He actually has narrow feet just wide across the toes. I discovered barefoot shoes and he could wear the right size in them but still kicked them off after school as he just preferred to be barefoot. He carried flip flops for if he needed shoes in shops.

Who is the 'she' who got upset when your daughter arrived at the wedding! Frankly I think that disrespectful myself.
I thought you were going to say she was five or six, but 11? That's not a phase. She should know that shoes are not optional - and I certainly wouldn't let her walk around a town barefoot.

My friend was barefoot at her own wedding reception!

I agree OP, it’s other people’s issue. When the weather becomes cooler etc I am certain she will change her mind! She just needs to be cautious of hazards but with choice comes the need to be careful ( it’s what I feel we should teach kids anyway).

When I first started teaching in New Zealand I noticed lots of children arriving at school with no shoes, was slightly horrified and queried it with new colleagues who wryly smiled and mentioned I was being ‘a bit English’. Shoes were available, just the kids chose not to wear them. Yes, there are a few bee stings here and there but in many areas it’s not uncommon to see adults and kids barefoot.

Feet harden off and I’m constantly amazed by what many kiwi kids can walk on without wincing, but yes their feet get rather grubby but isn’t that what soap and water were invented for? My neighbour hates shoes and at 78 is rarely seen wearing them including when navigating melting tarmac with her walker!

At 11 I am surmising your dd is capable of managing potential low level hazards … I really wouldn’t worry and ignore those who frown.

I'm 30 and I hate wearing shoes. Any chance I have I take them off. I get into the office at work, take them off, walk around the corridors with them off (I put them on if I go to the toilet or wards because of germs and H&S). I don't wear them at home or slippers. If I go out to the car or in the garden etc I don't wear shoes.

If I go out to meals, I take them off, if I'm sitting in cars as a passenger I take them off. Basically as soon as I sit down unless it would be risks of safety or hygiene I take them off. I used to walk around my home village in the summer without shoes on the roads (no pavements), in foresty bits and rivers/rocks etc.

I have comfy shoes, they're not too small. I just don't really like the feel of them. I honestly don't care if people think I'm normal or not. Have I hurt my feet doing this, yes (very minor rare occasion). But I have definitely hurt my feet more with blisters and cuts from shoes

Excellent post!

I wish DS could have gone to school barefoot! Shoes were for school and cub scouts. It's not like British children have evolved different feet to Aussie and Kiwi children, many of British ancestry, in a few generations.

I couldn’t get worked up about this either. The evidence is that going barefoot is actually good for your feet & posture- some shoes try to mimic this. I suppose she needs to be aware of the potential to tread on something sharp. Does she say why she likes doing it? I used to walk barefoot a lot as a teenager too esp popping around to next door neighbour!

You could try Barefoot shoes for times when shoes are required, they have a larger toe box and are less restrictive then regular shoes.

Take two as I just pressed the wrong key and my reply got deleted...

Been meaning to reply but was so busy at work and at home things just kept getting in the way.

Her shoes are just fine, she just says she likes not wearing them.

I get the unsafe argument most and basically that is why I posted to see if anyone could actually come up with some facts rather than just a comment. I don't get why walking down the beach with no shoes is OK despite there being not only discarded rubbish by visitors but things washed up that have been dumped in the sea, often by our water authorities, but there are rocks and creatures too but unsafe to walk on the street, our high street gets swept every morning by a machine and it is easier to spot hazards on a street than in the grass in the park.

Also people wonder around the street in flipflops and slippers so what is the big deal not wearing shoes.

As for being disrespectful at the wedding, she wore heeled dress sandals during the formal ceremony and day reception (were there were a couple of women in flip flops), the evening reception was less formal and there were people wearing trainers and flipflops.

Yesterday it rained a lot and later we took our dog for a walk by the river, upon our return home had to rinse both dog and daughter before letting thenm in the house :)

I know it been a while since you posted. Your daughter is not the only one, yestarday I noticed 2 girls walking home from primary school in their socks. To day I notice a young one about 4 or 5 walking back to car baefoot across a stony lay-by. Had been for a walk with dog and family in woods feet were completely black.
Dose your Daughter still go barefoot?