Why do people feel the need to inform me that my child's' shoes are on the wrong feet?

Question

Oh reallly, I didn't know, I never look at my child!!
She is three, she puts them on herself, just like she dresses herself in clothes that don't match. If it doesn't bother her why does it matter what foot the shoe is on?
Am I alone in this reasoning?
Do any other parents of toddlers get this unwanted input?
How do I respond when people make this comment?

BTW, its usually sandles, so at worst her big toe hangs over the edge.

Answer 1

i'd just say we're happy that they're on her feet and not her ears. :-) people are trying to help, but i agree it's exasperating.

(my kids also dressed themselves from way before they could do it very well, and i did learn a trick about the shoes so kids can do it themselves but still do it the right way. draw in pen two very small smiley faces on the insides of the shoes. tell your child to line up the faces so they're kissing before putting the shoes on).

Answer 2

If someone makes a comment such as that, just look at them and smile and say, "Thank you for noticing." And leave it at that.

And, yes, as a parent you will recieve a whole lot of unsolicited advice.

In answer to your question about why does it matter what foot the shoe is on, well, it really does if there is any type of arch at all. Shoes are usually made to be worn one way and that is either on the right or the left. Over time, it can cause the feet to become deformed, since the support of the shoes is not placed where it should be. Even with her big toe hanging off, this can pose a danger risk. She is more likely to scrape it, stub it, etc.

But, I assume that she wears different shoes and that it is not an every day, all day occurance. Once in awhile is fine.

Answer 3

Your response is to smile and say that "Melissa dressed herself today" which will usually get a comment of "how wonderful" or something positive. If not, I'd question the type of people you hang out with.

I can say that having the shoes on wrong is a tripping hazard. I recommend letting her put her shoes on and then finding some excuse to fix them before actually going out. My Mom painted arrows on the inside of my shoes that showed where the big toe was supposed to go.

Answer 4

She is 3, an adult should be dressing her. It doesn't sound like you are responsible enough to have her. A 3 year old doesn't know her right shoe from the left one. My 2 year old can put his shoes on. Most of the time I do it for him and when he does put them on, I always check and make sure he has them on the right foot. You also need to dress her. If you don't want to you can at least give her the clothes to wear and make sure they match and that they are clean. If you are too lazy to do that then you need to give her to someone that will care enough about her to do that. A child SHOULD NOT have to have her shoes on the wrong feet all day.

Answer 5

My daughter dresses herself, but I always make sure her shoes are on the right feet before leaving the house. She's accident prone as it is, don't need to encourage more tripping/falling with shoes on the wrong feet just because it's "cute".

And yes, you will always get unwanted input until the day you die about your kids lol... it just comes along with being a mom!

Answer 6

She needs to learn what feet they go on they tell you because it can hurt her feet and affect how she walks.

When a child makes a mistake, offer
a new way to look at the situation. For example, when a toddler or 2-year-old has put
his shoes on the wrong feet, you might say, “You did it all by yourself! How do those
shoes feel? If we switched them, would they feel different? Let’s try that and see.”

Answer 7

I dont think people are telling you to upset you. I would simply thank the person, and move along. if you feel the need to "set them in their place" for being considerate, then go ahead and explain you are aware of the shoes, that your daughter does it. To put an end to the comments, why not teach your daughter the correct feet shoes go on.

Answer 8

Probably over concern for her growing feet. If she keeps wearing shoes on the wrong foot...even sandals...it can have an effect on the growth of her feet. In this day and age, be careful cuz you could have child services knocking on your door. Once that happens, you'll never get rid of them.

Its great to let her be independant but for something that can hurt her (yes, it actually can), its best to teach her which shoe goes on which foot.

Answer 9

LOL!!! Say, "Really I never noticed. I only picked her up 10 or 12 times in the last hour. Put her in the car, and got her back out again. If you don't like it, would you like to change her shoes around & listen to her scream???"

I hate when people tell me my son's shoe laces are undone. They both have these cool shoes that have shoe laces for shoe. They hang down the side about 1 1/1 inches.
Everybody is so quick to judge somebody else.
xxxxxx

Answer 10

Yeah, I get this a fair bit too. My 5 year old still sometimes goes to school in crazy outfits, shoes on the wrong feet, and hair that she's done herself. I just smile and shrug, or say 'yeah, she's feeling creative today'.