Any other Barefooters out there? - Page 31

[sisteeesmama]

Oh, this is cool! I have never flet comfortable with shoes. I was lucky and lived in a lot of temperate climates growing up and avoided wearing them as much as possible.
Now I have a daughter and I am torn about shoes for her.
Right now it's winter-ish and she has 2 pairs of Robeez that I like because they are soft soled, I hate the idea of addicting her to soled shoes, it just seems wrong!

[clothdipemomof2boy]

Got into a discussion the other day about not wearing shoes with my brother in law and told him that shoes are just uncomfortable to walk alot in. He gave me a look of shock and said then wear flip flops. I told him that flip flops are not the greates to hike in. I would much prefer to go barefoot he thought I was kidding. I had to tell him that I have met some women (on here) that go barefoot everywhere and that one has hiked countries without shoes MF. He thought that was really exciting. So I think MF will have a new 11 year old stalker.

[oceanwinds]

It was so fun reading this whole thread. I didn't get to write much the other day (just posted a link), so I had to come back and introduce myself.

I am a 3rd generation barefooter (at the least...I'm sure my ancestors further back were, too.) My grandmother only wore shoes to go into town or to friend's houses. She even worked out in the garden (fields) barefoot.

My mom was the same way...only wearing shoes to go out somewhere. The rest of the time she is barefoot.

Me? I'm barefoot almost all the time. Even when I was teaching, as soon as I got to school off came the shoes. None of the children in my class wore shoes...even outside on the playground. If it is absolutely too cold to go barefoot or if I go somewhere nice, I'll wear Kinos (a brand of Cuban flip-flops.)

My kids will probably not be as ardent as I am, but that is because of my husband. He and his family wear shoes all.the.time! They even wear shoes in the house! The only time they are barefoot is in the shower and in bed. I am slowly (been working on it for ten years) weaning my husband off of shoes. He is the shoe whore in the family, but at least now, he rarely wears shoes inside. My kids don't really care one way or the other. I try and keep them barefoot as much as possible (they didn't even own shoes until they started walking), but they like wearing shoes, too.

[earth_mommy]

I am barefoot, whenever possible. I remember growing up in NC and going to the grocery store and library barefoot - they don't let you do that anymore *sigh* My kids are the same - the 10 month old only wears them 2% of the time. I've gotten my husband to relax on his own shoe wearing lol The teenager is our rebel though. *sigh* At least she isn't a prep...

[cwat]

It's 70 degrees here :
EVERYONE (in my family anyways) IS BAREFOOT!!!

[EvansMomma]

Cool thread.
I'm not a full-time barefooter, but I love love love being barefoot.
At home, in the car, in our yard, at the park - all barefoot. But I'm not at the point yet where I'm ready to barefoot while shopping or walking on the sidewalk. Nor am I ready to barefoot it in our northern Ontario winter. I'm a wimp and hate the cold as it is, even when I'm bundled up wearing my warmest winter clothing and -40celsius boots...lol

My most favourite moment every year is the first day I can stand out in my yard, barefoot, stretch out my toes and wiggle them into the ground. I love it. And I absolutely LOVE seeing my kiddos running around barefooted. A baby's foot is the most delicious thing ever, and should never be covered with a shoe...

[mlh]

My 2 yr old is choosing to be barefoot all the time. She will wear shoes when we go out, but they always end up off at some point. There is nothing cuter than a 2 yr old walking around in a pink dress and barefeet!

[nolonger]

I don't own shoes for my 15 month old, nor do I want to buy any because HE DOESN'T NEED THEM, but I'm still dealing with the "homeless" association people have with barefooters around here. I'm afraid I'm so sick of it that I tend to be a bit nasty when I'm late for work because a total stranger stops me for the fourteenth time to inform me that I'm not wearimg shoes.

I'm stuill fuming from the UAV who practuically ran me off the road two weeks ago to shove a dollar bill in my face and say "God laid it on my heart to give this to you and tell you to buy formula for your baby instead of drugs and wine" while I was weariung a brand new Suse Kindercoat ($119) over a Girasol Earthy Rainbow (German style wrap carrier that cost another $100 used).

It's not my job to educate idiots like that and there is no such thing as the fashion police. .

I have thought about printing some info off the web that I can hand to judgemental people so I can just smile and say, "I don't have time to talk right now but this should answer any questions you have about the barefooting lifestyle."

Can anyone suggest something shiort, succinct, and easy on the printer ink?

[Peace~*]

Isn't is Crazy The things other folks NEED TO TELL US!



BARE FEET ROCK!

xoxoxo, Peace~*

[ValleyOfLotus]

SUBBING!
I actually made a barefoot tribe here loooooong ago under a different username, probably 4 or more years ago! So I'm so happy to see this here. I try to go barefoot as much as possible and when I'm not barefoot I'm wearing my flip flops. My son is the same, bare feet or flip flops. I get all kinds of crazy comments when I'm out with the kids. I don't go barefoot in stores (something always gets said, even when I tried wearing those straps that "trick the eyes" into thinking you have sandles on) but my son does because he's 2 1/2 and no one really pays attention.

I was so happy yesterday in Goodwill because my son was walking with me and a man stopped me and mentioned my son being barefoot. I thought, "Oh no...here we go" but you know what he did? He warned me that they had just swept up some glass so my son should be careful Yay!


Edit:
noordinaryspider: that's awful that someone did that! But just wondering, what does UAV stand for?

[denaverbena]

five fingers

Ever heard of five fingers? they're a type of shoe designed to allow you to actually use your feet muscles while walking, probably the closest you can get to being barefoot when shoes r a must. I was living in a hippy town in cali and one summer decided to see how long I could go w/o shoes -in stores and everything. Made it about a week, it got a little nasty- black feet and all. Feels good. Feels natural. Check out five fingers, you'll make lots of new friends wearing them cause everyone will want to talk to you about em

[Peacemon]

I am a barefooter. My podiatrist told me that the only shoe I should ever wear was a Birkenstock. Cool, b/c that's all I wear anyways. I have been a barefoot or Birk woman since I was 18 or 19yo. I love shoes, but I love being barefoot A LOT BETTER!

[PreggieUBA2C]

Well, it took almost three months of barefooting in stores and such to be noticed. I just started this year to barefoot because while I tried a few years ago, and did as often as I could tolerate walking like I was doing a pee-pee dance around the myriad industrial staples, screws, nails and roofing tacks strewn all over the roads all over the town we lived in (and in everyone's yards too). :

Now we live in a cabin in the woods with a dirt road that leads to the highway. We walk every day on the road and we're all barefoot all the time (except dh). We bring water shoes in the van when we go to town.

It took a little while to strengthen the soles of my feet to tolerate the pebbles and rocks that are everywhere here, and now I especially love walking on the dirt road because the pebbles are so soothing and invigorating to my whole body.

Our boys run on pebbles and rocks and tree limbs and whatever is on the ground. I picked a mass of thorns out of my sole the other day (they were from wild rose and were hidden under a pile of dry leaves and grass and twigs) and none of them penetrated through my sole; they just stuck in, so no injury and no blood! If I had been wearing my sandals, I still would have been poked at the sides of my feet and if they were not conditioned like they are now, I would have been bleeding for sure.

I love that my posture has changed to healthy and my health in general, especially my immune system, has improved dramatically since I added barefooting to my life (or took away shoes, whichever... ).

We barefooted in clay and mud swamps in front of our cabin and the flu that the children had the night before was gone by noon and both the children and I had great energy by the evening (I had a stomach ache previously and felt weak). Who has extra energy after a flu? We did that day and I know it was so helpful to our bodies to be barefoot in the earth's nutrients and detoxing agents.

Anyway, count us in. I am planning to make my own boots for the winter. We had -60C and lower here last year; we do need foot protection from the cold.

What do those of you who need cold, cold, winter footwear wear?

[bannanachild]

The only time I am not barefoot or wearing flip-flops is when there is snow on the ground. My husband always wears his shoes. ALWAYS. Like, he'll wear them in bed. It drives me nuts!

[majikfaerie]

shoes in bed *shudder*

[kriket]

Originally Posted by majikfaerie

shoes in bed *shudder*

indeed, my dh wears socks in bed an i think thats gross!

[justmandy]

huh, I never thought of being barefoot as strange! I have never liked shoes and only wear flipflops or crocs if it's cold, the fleace lined ones are really warm...I don't need socks-yay!

I wouldn't do it in a store but every where I go (friends, church, when I worked etc) my shoes come off. I even take them off at teh library, dr's appts and once during therapy lol.

It's funny, it never once crossed my mind that it was not what everyone did!!

[spiderdust]

I actually can't stand flip flops at all. They hurt my toes. I'll wear Birks sometimes, but prefer to be shoeless.

[BeckyBird]

Hi! I am sitting here barefoot right now lol!
I never wear shoes inside, never! I do wear flipflops or sandals to go outside though, since I am always going into one of my animal pens. You don't want to step in a chicken pen with bare feet lol!
My husband is the opposite. He sometimes falls asleep with his shoes on. Ugh. His feet are so soft, smooth, and delicate, and I laugh if he ever steps outside barefoot. He can barely take 2 steps out there! I joke that my feet are like dog's paws lol--I can walk almost anywhere barefoot!

[spiderdust]

Who goes to school barefoot? I'd love too, but I work in an office that's in a building with some of the school administration. I need to stay on their good side, so I end up wearing shoes. :/