Never Say Never!

With each day I'm a mom I learn that things you say and think long before you are a mom somehow always come back to, shall we say, laugh at you!

I had such a moment today with my sweet little Clara. This morning she and I had one of our special "Girls Only, No Boys Allowed" trips. Our mission: a car wash, buy a new pillow for her big girl bed, find new sandals, and a quick trip to Kroger. How was I to know that one of those objectives would conquer a years long rule of mine.

Over the years as I've worked with countless children and observed their fashions, I have always said, "My kids will never have light-up shoes!". Eventually I re-evaluated that statement and revised it to "My kids will not have light-up shoes for as long as I can possibly avoid it." That day has arrived! I never would have guessed I'd cave after a mere 2 years of motherhood!

There we were in the shoe department at Kohl's. We weren't even there more than 30 seconds. As my eyes are perusing the options on the top shelf I hear Clara say, in a quite excited voice, "I want these Mommy!" Keeping in mind she can't even see the shoes over a foot above her head, she hands me a shoe box. Pink and pretty and covered with Disney Princesses. She has unknowingly picked a pair of Princess light-up sandals. The look on her face is pure joy. How can I say no to that? They have them in her size (which has gone from a 6 to a 7 in a matter of days - hence our need for new sandals), they are reasonably priced, I have a 15% off coupon and I know she'll wear the heck out of them. I quickly swallow the lump in my throat and ignore the laughing "pre-mom" voice in my head saying "not only are they light-up, but they are character shoes, too!". (I have also long preferred "neutral shoes" without t.v. or movie characters all over them.)

Such is life! My little girl is so happy! She had to wear them then and there. She hopped all around the store just so she could see them light up, showed them proudly to the associate at the register, and couldn't get in the house quick enough to show daddy. Daddy, as soon as he saw them, looked at me with eyes that said "really?", but he too saw the joy on Clara's face and we just shrugged and said "oh well".