Quick Tip: Solve the shoes on backward dilemma forever!
When children learn to put their shoes on independently it is a huge milestone! Especially if you are greatly pregnant with the next baby and this means one less instance of painfully bending down to help them! There is nothing quite as humorous as watching them struggle for 15 minutes to get their cute little chubby feet into those shoes and then exclaim proudly, “Look Mommy, I did it!”. It always broke my heart breaking the news to them that their hard work was completed, but their shoes were on backward. you can see it written on their faces, “Vanity of vanities!” Which is why there are many instances where I have simply let them walk around with their shoes on the wrong feet rather than spoiling their accomplishment.
Behold! Here is a simple trick to avoid the “Oops, they are on the wrong feet” moment. Take a sharpie and draw a little heart on the inner side of both shoes. You can make the little marks on the exterior or the interior of the shoes. Then simply teach them to make the “hearts” touch before they put on their shoes. You can use any shape – heart, star, smile, dot, triangles. This is especially helpful for the older child who struggles and needs a subtle way to avoid embarrassment at school.
