If someone was to ask me to name some of the big differences between a house without children and a household with children, I would have to say the abundance of shoes in a family scene is a dead giveaway. I had no idea when I got into this parenting world nearly two decades ago that such a huge chunk of my time would be dedicated to managing shoes.
Maybe it is partly because we live in such an affluent country and most of us have multiple pairs of shoes. I am not a big shoe freak and even I have many more pairs of shoes than I wear regularly. I just never know when I might need that great pair of suede boots or I will put on those black mules (okay, I have three pair) again. Just in case! Multiply that by four people and take into account that at least two of them are shoe freaks and you can see how we might have a monumental organizational problem.
I have always kept a big basket by the most-used door for people to dump their shoes into. Recently, I graduated to a wagon (I kid you not, I recycled the kids’ old radio flyer with the great wood slats and it is now a quaint little gathering place for shoes.) Not only is there the issue of storing and organizing the shoes that are currently being worn (or not) but there is always the overwhelming challenge of keeping growing kids in shoes that fit! Staying on top of that foot growth and shoe wear is a reality that many of us parents were a bit unprepared for.
Visit any family—whether one children or a half-dozen (or more) and I guarantee you that shoe management will be a central theme in the family operations!