Shoe buying time is a challenge with three boys. You can’t just take the one who actually needs new shoes. The other two feel entitled to a pair as well. Sometimes I resort to just going out and buying a pair without kids in tow. This smart/not-so-smart solution is really a 50/50 chance of getting it right.
Around Christmas time, I bought a pair of athletic shoes for my baby, who is 7. The design and color were right on target, but they were too narrow. There they sat on the desk, testing the limits of the return policy. By the time I got around to returning them, Robert didn’t even remember him. To him, they were just a pair of shoes in a box. We were taking them back and he was getting a new pair. We had also tested the limits of his worn out shoes.
While we sneak out covertly on a new shoe mission, the other two are distracted and entertained by Dad. We go to the store, Robert gets the perfect size, color, and design in a new shoe. Little boy is happy. Check.
About a day goes by, and sweet Robert comes to me with a pair of old shoes. Dirty. Worn. Probably from when he was 5. If shoes could have patina, they had it….
He was carrying them as though they were manna from God. You could hear the angels singing.
“Mom, I’d like to trade these in for some new shoes.”
Oh, the sweetness of childhood innocence.
Patina By Design 
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