Barefoot mummies and barefoot children

[solemum]

Hi

Just a quick thread to get your comments. I am barefoot mummy here in New Zealand with two gorgeous barefoot children, we go everywhere in barefeet, shopping, school trips, family, restaurants etc. Just been shopping today and was stopped in the supermarket by an elderly woman complaining about my three year old being barefoot and not having any clothes on (it is summer down here after all!) and then she tried to have a go at me for being barefoot too!. I was so pissed off at her attitude, I told her to mind her business, that we were a barefoot family and we had no need for shoes at all. 

Interested in your thoughts. Down here we have no store rules about shoes, people are barefoot everywhere, I havent had shoes on my feet for over four years, so I find this type of shitty behaviour really annoying! 

[jess in hawaii]

Hi solemum!

You must be the biggest barefoot activist on MDC

Here in Hawaii, bare feet are waaaay more common and accepted than on the mainland, but still not nearly so much as NZ (have never been down your way, but my husband would recount stories of working with "kiwis" who even did construction barefoot).

My neighbors in New Orleans used to tease me all the time but it was all good natured so I wasn't offended.

Did your 3yo really not have any clothes on, or something minimal? Maybe the old lady was more offended by the lack of clothing, maybe the way you look altogether, and threw in being barefoot as something else to rail about, know what I mean? But whatever, if what you are doing is "normal", than let the comments roll off. And if what you are doing is not "normal", than be at peace with that fact, and let the comments roll off.

[solemum]

Originally Posted by jess in hawaii 

Hi solemum!

You must be the biggest barefoot activist on MDC

Here in Hawaii, bare feet are waaaay more common and accepted than on the mainland, but still not nearly so much as NZ (have never been down your way, but my husband would recount stories of working with "kiwis" who even did construction barefoot).

My neighbors in New Orleans used to tease me all the time but it was all good natured so I wasn't offended.

Did your 3yo really not have any clothes on, or something minimal? Maybe the old lady was more offended by the lack of clothing, maybe the way you look altogether, and threw in being barefoot as something else to rail about, know what I mean? But whatever, if what you are doing is "normal", than let the comments roll off. And if what you are doing is not "normal", than be at peace with that fact, and let the comments roll off.

hahaLOL...not sure about being an activist, and I guess thats part of the issue, I dont go round telling people to go barefoot, so I get a bit annoyed when people tell me to wear shoes! My three year old is getting into this habit of pulling his nappy off by undoing the tape at each side, so when I took him out of his car seat his nappy was left in the car. I really didnt think it would be a big deal, and for most people it wasn't , I'm certainly not irresponsible or silly about it - it is very hot here  now, and I dont have any issues with a three year old sitting in a shopping trolley, or running round a supermarket without clothes on.

Really hard to know what the woman was going on about, I was so pissed off, she was quite aggressive and to be honest, a little intimidating, and I dont intimidate easily!
 

[Polliwog]

Wait...your three-year-old was sitting barebottomed in a shopping cart? And running around the grocery store without pants on? I'd have said something to you, too.

[jess in hawaii]

Yeah, naked in the yard or at the beach is one thing, bare but in a grocery cart is another. Maybe you could keep a pair or shorts handy so when the diaper becomes a struggle, you can just slip the shorts on to go shopping.

[Adaline'sMama]

Honestly, I dont care too much about barefeet but if your babys bare bum was on a shopping cart, If polietly ask you if you needed me to help you buy some diapers. (although, my rule is that shoes are required if we have to get in the car to go to the place- which means barefoot at home and on the farm is okay, but not in public. People are gross. They still flick cigarette ashes on gas station floors here Kentucky).

[crunchy_mommy]

Around here you will get kicked out of businesses if you are not wearing shoes (except non-walkers). We are barefoot at home & usually in the yard/parks/etc. but there is often broken glass on our streets so we wear shoes on the road. And we wear shoes (boots) outside in the winter because we get COLD!!!

I have never seen even a very young baby completely naked in public... in fact, I've never even seen a baby/toddler in just a diaper except at the beach. Businesses also require shirts and I think wearing pants/diaper/whatever is implied; I'm positive you'd get kicked out if your kid was totally naked. Many businesses have a "No shoes - no shirt - no service" sign at the entrance.

The beach is about the only place here where kids can be nude -- and then only at the smaller/private beaches; the larger public beaches require at least a diaper/bathing suit. Oh, and of course often our kids are naked & barefoot when our friends all get together in someone's home or yard...

[solemum]

I think our attitude to barefeet for both adults and children is quite different to the US, and certainly it is not uncommon to see small toddlers running round shopping malls and supermarkets with out clothes on, or in just a nappy. Personally I dont have any issue with it, our malls are clean, my baby is certainly clean, and I personally think some mums get really anal about germs etc. The US may be different where some of your streets sound really dirty, but ours are not. I've been a barefoot mum for many years now, and never ever had any issues - not to say something might not happen in the future, but the 'what if' attitude would not work for me. 

[CatsCradle]

Originally Posted by solemum 

I think our attitude to barefeet for both adults and children is quite different to the US, and certainly it is not uncommon to see small toddlers running round shopping malls and supermarkets with out clothes on, or in just a nappy. Personally I dont have any issue with it, our malls are clean, my baby is certainly clean, and I personally think some mums get really anal about germs etc. The US may be different where some of your streets sound really dirty, but ours are not. I've been a barefoot mum for many years now, and never ever had any issues - not to say something might not happen in the future, but the 'what if' attitude would not work for me. 

You're right, our streets are really dirty here.  Broken glass, dog poop, discarded gum, cigarette butts.  The street I live on, in fact, looks like something straight out of a 19th century photo of a run-down tenement.  I envy you for the Xanadu that you live in down there.  

[solemum]

Originally Posted by CatsCradle 

You're right, our streets are really dirty here.  Broken glass, dog poop, discarded gum, cigarette butts.  The street I live on, in fact, looks like something straight out of a 19th century photo of a run-down tenement.  I envy you for the Xanadu that you live in down there.  

Its incredibly sad that Americans dont care for their environment better. The issue as far as going barefoot then, is that the enviroment is shitty, not that going barefoot is seen as trashy - I actually see being barefoot, for me at least, as a very natural, clean and healthy lifestyle choice.
 

[Learning_Mum]

Dude, I am in NZ too and while my kids go barefoot and I do too (and never had anyone even look funny at me) I have *never* seen a naked baby or toddler out. Maybe at the beach but that is it. The other day my 3.5yo went down to the dairy in undies and a tshirt but that is as undressed as it gets. I would be appalled by a naked child in a supermarket, or anywhere that isn't the beach.

[DoubleDouble]

Originally Posted by solemum 

I think our attitude to barefeet for both adults and children is quite different to the US, and certainly it is not uncommon to see small toddlers running round shopping malls and supermarkets with out clothes on, or in just a nappy. Personally I dont have any issue with it, our malls are clean, my baby is certainly clean, and I personally think some mums get really anal about germs etc.

I'm the opposite of germophobe, but I like the idea that people's naked asses should be kept off communal appliances like shopping carts. No matter if the person in question is 3 or 30 years old.

[D_McG]

Originally Posted by DoubleDouble 

I'm the opposite of germophobe, but I like the idea that people's naked asses should be kept off communal appliances like shopping carts. No matter if the person in question is 3 or 30 years old.

Not sure whether I believe the OP or not though.

[coffeegirl]

Dirty bare feet (on an adult or child) grosses me out. But that's a personal issue with me, which I'm admittedly neurotic about, and I don't have an actual problem with people going barefoot in public if that's what they want to do. As previously stated though, many stores and restaurants (I'd say most, actually....would the other Americans here agree?) have either official or unofficial "no shirt, no shoes, no service" rules in the US. I really, really think that has less to do with people being mean or anal and more to do with safety and liability concerns.

But the child being naked in a store? No. That's just not sanitary for either the child, or the other people in the store. If the kid wears nappies, then I'm assuming he's still somewhat incontinent? What if he had an accident? People don't want other people- even adorable little kids- peeing and pooing right out in public in the same places where they buy their food. Also, I would be concerned about any possible germs or nasties that your little one might pick up from the cart.

One more thing-- I know someone from New Zealand....from a very laid back part of NZ in fact...and she said that while the barefoot thing is somewhat common, having your child run naked in a grocery store or mall isn't common and would be seen by most as really inappropriate.

[Adaline'sMama]

Originally Posted by solemum 

Its incredibly sad that Americans dont care for their environment better. The issue as far as going barefoot then, is that the enviroment is shitty, not that going barefoot is seen as trashy - I actually see being barefoot, for me at least, as a very natural, clean and healthy lifestyle choice.
 

While I agree that our country is dirty and gross, I personally think that if you let your little kids walk around on broken glass and ciagrette butts its trashy. Going barefoot on places where you arent walking across a parking lot covered in oil, onto a sidewalk that has cigarette butts and ashes on it and into a store where everyone else walks with their shoes (who have all walked all over the oil and the cig butts and the poop too....) is just gross to me. So, to me the issue is, that if you dont live in a super clean place I think its gross to walk around barefoot.

[Dandelionkid]

yuck. no bare bums on my grocery cart please. a huge percentage of children have pinworms. i don't want pinworm eggs on my food. or e coli. or some other disease carried by fecal matter.

[coffeegirl]

Originally Posted by Dandelionkid 

yuck. no bare bums on my grocery cart please. a huge percentage of children have pinworms. i don't want pinworm eggs on my food. or e coli. or some other disease carried by fecal matter.

You realize that you're sort of implying that solemum maybe should care about the concerns of others and not just herself and her childrens' freedom to explore and be wonderfully....free? I'm interested to see solemum's response.

[coffeegirl]

dp

[Just1More]

And I wanted to take issue with this, but then I looked it up...

It's not like it's going to kill you, but, still...

And, what sort of polio vaccine do they use in NZ anyway?  Oral still?  (Do they do that anywhere?)  And is this Mama vaxing?  Or what about rotovirus?
 

Originally Posted by Dandelionkid 

yuck. no bare bums on my grocery cart please. a huge percentage of children have pinworms. i don't want pinworm eggs on my food. or e coli. or some other disease carried by fecal matter.

[solemum]

Yes my boys have been vaccinated. I have never heard of pinworm. I really think you are becoming quite germophobic, I fail to see how ten minutes in a shopping trolley is such a big deal, and as far as being barefoot, my boys have been barefoot since birth, and I have pretty much all my adult life, and never had any issues at all, with glass blah, blah. As far I am concerned our streets are clean enough to let my boys go barefoot, and for me to go barefoot wherever I want to. I would never knowingly put my children in danger.