New Shoes

Perhaps there's nothing that symbolizes the first day of school more than a new pair of shoes. I remember being so excited to wear the new school shoes my mother had bought in August but I wasn't allowed to wear until the first day of school. Of course, in the old days, shoes meant shoes rather than sneakers, so I remember the blisters after walking to and from school those first few days as much as I remember the shoes themselves. Later, when it was ok to wear sneakers everyday - my mother was a late convert to the idea - there were Chuck Taylors, Stan Smiths, Jack Purcells, and Puma Clydes. I can even tell you what colors I had. And I can recall begging for Nikes when they first became fashionable, but they were just too expensive. As a parent, I'm always amazed that my kids' feet seem to grow exponentially during the last week of August. Those shoes that fit perfectly while we were on vacation earlier in the month are suddenly too small. So off the the mall we go to find the perfect pair of first-day-of-school shoes. As the father of two girls, we keep looking until we find the pair with just the right amount of pink.

So on this first day of school, my new greeting is, "Welcome back! Have a great day! Nice shoes!"