I guess he's going to be barefooted!

ginnie5 · #1 12/29/07, 08:31 AM

I have the worst time with my 6yo ds taking his shoes off and NOT putting them up. I have talked till I'm blue int he face, taken away tv/toys. Nothing works it seems. He just gets so busy doing what he's doing that he forgets they need to be put up. He had 2 pairs of tennis shoes...a new pair and an older pair that still fit him. Well he lost the old pair....I thought it was because he didn't want to wear them anymore so I told him that now he only had 1 pair and he had to keep them clean and still play in them. I looked out the back door this morning and what do you think I saw? One of his good shoes! where the other one is heaven knows. One of the dogs loves shoes and if they're outside they're fair game. Ds has spent 20 minutes out there wandering around looking for it so far with no luck. He knows he's in major trouble so he'd rather be out there than face the consequences. I think that I will make him wait a day or so (he does still have a pair of sandals he can wear in a pinch) before I break down and go buy new tennis shoes though. Maybe it will teach him to take better care of his things. And yes he does have a place to put his shoes and he knows where it is and why he's supposed to. Normally I check but I was a little distracted last night. At any rate i think 6 is old enough to put your things up.

Loriann1971 · #2 12/29/07, 09:20 AM

Do you have a pair of old worn out shoes from an older child that you could have him wear for a day or so...maybe even girl's shoes? If they are too big, make him double up on socks or stuff the toes with newspaper. You could tell him it is a shame he lost his shoes because you can't afford to replace them just yet and he has to wear something and those are all you can scrounge for him.

I would also make him earn the new pair. Have him do little things around the house (Help you clear or set the table, dust, sweep, etc) and assign a value to each task. When he has earned enough to buy the new pair he can stop wearing the ones you scrounged for him.

MaryNY · #3 12/29/07, 09:20 AM

A few thoughts -- could you let him do something "fun" with them to get them to a safe spot? Like, maybe tying the laces together and hooking them over the doorknob to his room?

Also, if the shoes really are lost, it might be a real object lesson to him NOT to get a NEW pair of shoes. Would it be possible to take him to the Thrift Store and get a "lightly used" pair?

One good thing is -- at least he has the ability to concentrate on what he is doing to the exclusion of everything else. Should make studying etc. come easy to him -- just think, some day you may be saying "my son the doctor" or some such!! LOL

Good luck!

MaryNY

Anita in NC · #4 12/29/07, 10:19 AM

I tell the kids that I will always buy the first of whatever. I would have him buy the next pair out of his allowance or birthday money. He could even look for some at the thrift store.

We have had good luck finding shoes for the boys at thrift stores, some are hardly worn. Usually $2 a pair.

DS11 is really bad about losing stuff. He has lost his swim googles again. He'll have to buy some new ones or go with out.

Do you have a set place to put shoes. My kids are meant to put them in the hall closet, we have a shoe organizer. DS4 and DS8 are really good about putting their shoes away. However, DS11 isn't. In the past I have taken his shoes away and put them in the time out box for a week if I find them laying around. Sometimes he'll get down to sandals or something to small and have to wear those till the week is up. Usually gets him back to putting them away.

Ardie/WI · #5 12/29/07, 10:23 AM

Tell him that if he loses anymore shoes, you'll make him wear pink Barbie ones.

My DS would have rather crawl through glass than wear anything girly!

ginnie5 · #6 12/29/07, 12:33 PM

well I found his shoes....right outside in the yard where he took them off. He doesn't know that I found them yet though since they're in dire need of washing now. I'm taking advantage of this! So far he's made his bed (we usually pull teeth over that one) cleaned up his bedroom floor, and vacuumed the couch out for me. I have clothes to be folded next. Maybe tonight I'll let him know I found them......

Freeholder · #7 12/29/07, 01:01 PM

If you live where it's warm enough for him to be going barefoot at this time of year, I think he may be risking getting hookworm by going barefoot. In the northern states the cold winters kill them, but they can be an issue in the Southern states, I've been told. (Was told by a doctor one time that we could get hookworm going barefoot on the Oregon Coast -- we went barefoot all summer and never got it that I know of, but I think he was from the South where it really could be an issue.) I don't know if talking to your son about the health risks of going barefoot in a warm climate would be enough to encourage him to keep those shoes on?

Otherwise, if you are sure that there aren't any health risks to him going barefoot, I would just put the shoes up and only get them down for going to town.

Kathleen