In school, I can remember studying Xs and Ys. Unfortunately, science at the molecular level has always been my weak area (just ask my college microbiology teacher. Of course, you'd have to ask both of them, seeing as how I flunked it the first time...). I can clearly recall being especially frustrated when studying genetics, because I really wanted to understand it- but to no avail. Instead, my own genetic line steered me towards excelling in other areas.
My own son has most definitely inherited traits from my husband and I, both in physical looks and personality. There are times when I can look at him and say, "Wow, he got that from me!" And of course, there are times when I also say, "Crap. Poor kid. He got that from me...". But there is one similarity between he and I that I believe will be a bonding point throughout our lifetime-
We love shoes.
Now don't get me wrong, we each like gender-appropriate shoes- he isn't shopping at Nine West helping me pick out my next pair of pumps (they are my favorite for pumps!). But he does scope Dick's Sporting Goods, Foot Locker, Zappos, Amazon, and even EBay on a regular basis, keeping up with what styles are new and plotting for his next pair. Did you know that athletic shoes have names?! Not only that, they can be identified by what year they were made- much like cars. For example, the shoe that is called "Air Max" has a basic style that gets tweaked every year, allowing them to call them Air Max 2013 versus Air Max 2014. We will be out at the mall, and he will lean over and whisper to me what shoes the guy in line next to us is wearing. About a year ago, I was admiring a pair of pumps one of the VPs at work was wearing- I told her I liked them and said, "Anne Klein, right?". She looked oddly at me- I just shrugged, dipped my head, and walked away...
Unfortunately, my child grows like a weed and is hell on shoes. On top of that, at 10 years old he has already outgrown kid sizes (another genetic trait...). Therefore, his shoe purchases must be few and far between, and usually from the sale rack. Beacuse even knowing he wears them literally every day, paying $100 or more for a pair of shoes just seems crazy to me.
Today all three of us went to one of the nearby outlet malls. Our mission? New shoes for the 10-year old. We started at Converse, where both father and son tried on "old school" Chuck Taylors. Deciding against the canvas look, we moved next door into the world of Nike.
The shoe section in the Nike store is in the back, with all of the clothes toward the front. I swear that kid headed straight for the back like two lovers run to each other after being apart- it was almost comical.
Basketball is the 10-year old's passion at the moment, and he was able to find a pair of basketball shoes that he absolutely loved, in his school colors, for much less than $100. When I told him that he could get them, his eyes lit up just like mine did when I found my Cole Haan boots on the clearance rack for less than $100.
The good news is that he played outside in his new shoes for several hours after we got home, proclaiming them to be the best shoes ever. The bad news is that he has informed me we have to buy him some new socks, as most of his don't match the colors of his new kicks. Yup- genetics is a funny thing....
Today's picture represents the joy of a new pair of shoes, and the power of the chromosone.
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