Any other Barefooters out there?

[trmpetplaya]

Dh and I discovered barefooting about six months ago and haven't looked back! It feels quite unnatural to wear shoes now (when we do have to wear shoes in stores and such we wear hemp Rainbow sandals).

Research on barefoot children -
http://www.unshod.org/pfbc/pfmedresearch.htm

And a wealth of info about the health benefits of bare feet can be found here along with pictures and testimonials and FAQs... -
http://www.barefooters.org/

Barefooters in action!
http://www.barefooters.org/gallery/australia/photos-1.html

ETA more links!

observations of the health benefits of barefooting:
http://www.shoebusters.com/

Sandals that are (almost) as good as going barefoot when you must wear shoes:
http://www.nomadicstate.com/

Dh has fallen arches because he wore hard-soled shoes all the time as a young child, but he actually has a bit of arch now since going barefoot for a few months :thumb

Hope there are more of you around and maybe there'll be some converts after researching the issue :wink

love and peace. :love

[Arduinna]

I've always been this way. I only wear shoes when required, IE going to stores, restaurants or if the ground is too hot *summer temps over 110 here means very hot pavement*. When I do wear shoes it's Birks.

[itsang]

i hate wearing shoes, too & have always been that way! i get so much grief about how unhygenic & gross i am because i choose to go barefoot.:irked: i wear my birks when shoes are required.

i even go shoe-free as much as possible at work...one reason i cannot wait to become a SAHM:lol! my home is a no shoe zone, too...i tell people to just try & not be relaxed when they're wearing no shoes!:wink

[MamaTaraX]

Barefoot here! Heck I'm barefoot right now:) Always am. So are my children. They wear shoes if they chose to (except the baby). I wear Birkenstocks all year round (and I livein a place where it gets cold and snows) though my lone pair just kicked the bucket and I need a new one (and don't have $$$ layin around for some!) I want Birks for my kiddos :) When I was working on a website about my doula-ing and childbirth-related things, I called it The Barefoot Doula :)

Namaste, Tara

[westernmamomma]

I'm a barefooter at heart! I wear no shoes whenever possible, and encourage my children to do the same. When it's winter time, I wear a pair of danskos, super comfy, and not restrictive at all. I've been known to walk in snow barefoot whenever I can, much to dh's dismay. My kiddos don't wear shoes much at all either. I don't think they're neccesary. Others, including family may disagree.

[mama_at_home]

Those are very interesting links. I go barefoot probably 90% of the time but I always thought you couldn't go into stores and stuff barefoot. At first when I saw the title I thought you mean water-skiing. :lol

[jessicaabruno]

I'm also a barefooter at heart, but really should start to practice more it. Love Born Shoes, Merrell Shoes, Nikes, Adidas, Reefs if I can't be barefoot.

[jessicaabruno]

Double post

[spiderdust]

I'm probably more of a barefoot wannabe. :lol I'm barefoot right now, worry about cutting my feet on stuff outside.

[Slingin'Momto4]

I LOVE being barefoot, I am like that 90% of the time unless I am going somewhere that requires shoes but DH on the other hand always has to have shoes on! Right after he gets dressed in the morning, he throws shoes on even if he isn't going anywhere. It kind of drives me nuts...LOL! My kiddos also hate shoes and the little kids only wear shoes when we go to the store (except my 20 mth old) but my 9 and 6 yr old have to wear shoes all day to school. What shoes would be the best for them?

[Kathryn]

I go barefoot everywhere I can, but I personally choose not to drive barefoot or go into stores barefoot.

[TheTinkyMamma]

Oh definetly. My DH hates that I go barefoot all the time and hates it even more that our kids do. My oldest had to wear his shoes 24/7 for a while because he had in-shoe braces. It was near impossible to keep them on him, though. He's just like his mamma. LOL.

[CNutty]

At the beginning of spring, my shoes come off and dont go back on till winter!! only some birks and dansko sandles when I need to go somewhere where its required!

[mother nurture]

We are also a barefoot family. Unfortunately I have to wear shoes to work as does dh.

We love www.nomadicstate.com They are beautifully made and oh so comfortable. Definitely check them out.:thumb

BTW-trmpetplaya-nice to run into you on a board again since the young granola mamas.

Peace, love and free walkn' feet!

[cfiddlinmama]

Oh ya, I belong here! Shoes & I just don't get along! Always barefoot. If I have to wear shoes I wear my Keens they're SOOO comfy (and I don't like shoes) I'll even keep them on sometimes. I want birks though. I can't keep shoes on my kids. My 2 yr old even takes them off in church. They take them off & hide them when we go places! My 12 mo old has never worn shoes - just wool slippers! Here's to free & happy feet!

[g.r.i.t.s]

Well add me to the list I am always barefoot. I hate shoes.If we go somewhere I will wear flipflops * all seasons* I just hate to feel so ( looking for a word) tight..shoes laced and socks are a nightmare!

My kids wear crocks a lot do you all like them?

[hookahgirl]

I am!
I used to go barefoot 24/7 to all stores and everything, but with a 14 month old DD I dont have time to argue about my rights when we REALLY need food from the store I am in KWIM?!?!
I just love it. Although I have been doing it for years (about 10) and my arches seem to have fallen alot, should I worry?

[InDaPhunk]

I just read the FAQs on the barefooters link and that is all very interesting. I love to go barefoot and do it as much as possible, but I didn't ever realize there were other "freaks" out there like me (well, excepting maybe those with a foot fetish and that's a whole 'nother website)!

I wish I had the balls (ovaries) to go barefoot everywhere all the time. I just dont dig the shoes all that much. Kudos to the barefooters!

[hellyaellen]

count me in. i try to wear bedroom slippers when i can get away with it or its too cold to just go shoeless. i don't even bother with shoes if i'm going to the store a lot of times.

[spiderdust]

If we go somewhere I will wear flipflops

I wish I could wear flip flops for those times that I have to wear shoes, but they feel so uncomfortable for my toes! :( Maybe I'm wearing the wrong ones?

[*daciaperfect*]

i am barefoot at heart. my home is a shoe free zone. my feet hate shoes. when i head out, i am sticktly in sandles or birk clogs. but it seems i only wear shoes til i get to my destination, and then off they go! i wish we didnt have such cold temps here or i would probably be barefoot outdoors all year round. i just freeze too much to be outside barefoot.

[mummy marja]

I am barefoot all summer. It would be sheer stupidity to do it in the winter here, I would lose my toes! I dance barefoot, I drive barefoot (sometimes) and my feet are so tough I can run accross the gravel driveway without wincing! When I was in college I would leave my shoes in my locker all day, and I was known as "socks" because that's what I always wore!

[MamaTaraX]

I dont have time to argue about my rights when we REALLY need food from the store I am in KWIM?!?!
:nod I personally would go barefoot everywhere but yeah, when I'm toting three kids with me its really not always a good time to argue my rights.

My house is a shoe-free zone :) We live on a bunch of land and are barefoot on it. So we get plenty of foot free time. Except my MIL's stupid mulch. She mulches EVERYWHERE and I cannot walk barefoot over mulch no matter how much I have tried. My DH wears his nasty workboots in the house! It deives me insane. He's afraid of stepping on toys/other stuff on the floor. He doesn't get down with my "you can always wipe your feet if you step in something". I wish he woudln't wear shoes so much because my kids are picking up on it and often ask to wear shoes more than they used to. And their Grandma is always all "where are your shoes?" so my toddler thinks that he has to wear shoes sometimes when he doesn't. She's getting better though.

Namaste, Tara

[mother nurture]

When I was in college I would leave my shoes in my locker all day, and I was known as "socks" because that's what I always wore!

I am curious as to how many of you barefoot mamas wear socks. I really can't stand them. I only own probably around one pair for hiking. I will admit, though that during college I would wear sandals in the shower:o Just too many foot funk going on in those places.

[pilesoflaundry]

I'm often barefoot, even outside. I only wear shoes when I leave the house to go to a store or somewhere public. I wear flip flops a lot or sneakers if it's too wet/cold for flip flops. I am not a fancy shoe person!

The only thing I hate is how rough my feet get, I know that is part of going barefoot all the time and I hate wearing shoes all the time so it's something I have to deal with but I do hate that. My kids' are always barefoot like me, my dh always has shoes on, he hates going barefoot.

[g.r.i.t.s]

I wear the kind with cloth in between not the ones with the plastic that hurts!!!!

[pinkmilk]

I am barefoot all summer. It would be sheer stupidity to do it in the winter here, I would lose my toes! I dance barefoot, I drive barefoot (sometimes) and my feet are so tough I can run accross the gravel driveway without wincing! When I was in college I would leave my shoes in my locker all day, and I was known as "socks" because that's what I always wore!

i love driving barefoot. in the summer i do it all the time. dh thinks i'm totally crazy because i can'y stand having hot feet so my shoes come off wearever and whenever the mood strikes!! my feet are not tough though and i cannot walk on rocks or gravel or hot sand. but they do get massaged every night by my lovely dh:thumb

[spiderdust]

I wear the kind with cloth in between not the ones with the plastic that hurts!!!!

Ah, that's what I've been doing wrong then... just wearing the plastic ones.

[g.r.i.t.s]

I drive barefoot but its illeagel in the state that we live in..:(

[g.r.i.t.s]

Ah, that's what I've been doing wrong then... just wearing the plastic ones.

:lol yup the cloth just fits in between and its feels really comfortable:innocent

[Slingin'Momto4]

Sometimes I drive barefoot but it is also illegal where I live as well! I also HATE wearing socks but when I wear sneakers I need to wear socks or my feet really reak...LOL! But that only happens in the winter because I never wear sneakers in the spring/summer. I really hate shoes and my Mom thinks I am nutty because she says when I was little she always made sure I had shoes on. I tell her my feet are rebelling...LOL!

[boodafli]

barefootin here too. roxy flipflops when i do shoe. :thumb

[g.r.i.t.s]

boodafli--I love roxy..I have tan lines on my feet from a trip to a water park...so its the roxy flops or no shoes this summer to cover it up

[nym]

I am always barefoot! My kids are always barefoot too.. I often wear flipflops well into winter.. I wear flipflops when going out, but I dont like too.. I own like 4 pairs of socks that I wear in my shoes, but as soon as I get home I strip off my shoes and socks!

[celestialdreamer]

I am curious as to how many of you barefoot mamas wear socks. I really can't stand them. I only own probably around one pair for hiking. I will admit, though that during college I would wear sandals in the shower:o Just too many foot funk going on in those places.

I HATE socks! :lol In fact I have a bit of a phobia about that material that athletic socks are made out of, it completely freaks me out. I take DH's socks that are like that and fling them out of the basket for him put away. I think I own maybe 3 pairs of socks (they must be super smooth material and very lightweight though) that I use when its super cold outside or when I have to wear real shoes in the winter (which I rarely do anyway).

I do wear shoes for driving and in stores, but at home (or at friends/family members homes) I never do. I really only like slip on super comfy stuff like my birks or these other closed toe ones I found at Nordstroms (can't remember the brand and I'm too lazy to go look :lol ). We have a strict no shoes rule in our home, which for me is no big deal because I hate shoes anyway. Unfortunately my dd LOVES shoes and wants to wear them in the house. She's gotten into the routine of taking them off at the door though, and she has 'play shoes' in the house (these rubber 'bug' clog things from Target). Shoes in the house gross me out.

Anyone else deal with really dry, cracked feet from being barefoot so much? I can't seem to remember to put anything on them on a regular basis and my feet are really awful looking. Oh well, as long as I comfy, right? :thumb

[spiderdust]

I HATE socks!

Now, they're not so bad. They're great for slipping over my Sigg bottles to keep my water nice and cold! :lol

[7kiddosmom]

No shoes here most of the time. My MIL is a fanatic about putting shoes on. I was 5 months pregnant in December running around barefoot and she couldn't understand how I never got sick. I told her it was BECAUSE I didn't wear shoes. I never understood how people think you get sick from not having shoes on when it is cold.

I do have a pair of slip on sandals that hang out just outside my front door because the ground in South Texas is awful hot in the summer. But when I am driving the shoe on my pedal foot comes off.

[judybean]

nak

i never thought that driving barefoot could be illegal..... what would be the rationale behind that??

[g.r.i.t.s]

Who knows!!!

[spiderdust]

nak

i never thought that driving barefoot could be illegal..... what would be the rationale behind that??

Yeah, it's never made sense to me. Still, it seems to be a rule in a lot of areas.

[7kiddosmom]

Barefoot here! When I was working on a website about my doula-ing and childbirth-related things, I called it The Barefoot Doula :)

Namaste, Tara

One of the first things my mw did when she got to my house for both births she attended was take her shoes off. :lol Didn't bother me a bit because as soon as I would get to her office for a prenatal I would take mine off. lol

[MamaTaraX]

One of the first things my mw did when she got to my house for both births she attended was take her shoes off. :lol Didn't bother me a bit because as soon as I would get to her office for a prenatal I would take mine off. lol I'm fairly certain my midwife and doula were barefoot at my last birth. I honestly have no clue though :lol I have been barefoot every time I've given birth. Although the first time I put on socks when I started pushing. I got colr (then hot then cold then hot...) but never took the socks off. I saved 'em though :) The ohter two times I was naked so, no shoes there. First two weren't at home though (hospital, birth centre) so somem pepole had on shoes. At my homebirth though, everybody was barefoot! Hubby, both kids, my mom...and I think midwife and doula too :)

I'm trying to figure out why it would be illegal to drive barefoot. That seems incredibly stupid!

Oh and I don't wear socks :)

Namaste, Tara

[mother nurture]

I always drive barefoot. I usually keep my sandals in the car. We do have a little shoe rack as soon as you walk into our home. No shoes allowed.

[pampered_mom]

I LOVE to be barefoot! It's a family thing for me. I have three sisters and all three of us plus my mom would all prefer to be barefoot than wearing shoes. Dh came from a family of shoe wearers so it took awhile before he felt comfortable being barefoot. I wear shoes only when absolutely necessary and usually prefer shoes that are as close to being barefoot as possible. I hate socks and only wear them when I absolutely must. Midwest winters get a bit too cold for me.

We are a NO SHOES house which causes some friction when my FIL comes to visit. He usually has some kind of snide comment to make. The girls that I babysit for and their mother thing it's strange, but what can I say? My house, my rules! :0) DS is often barefoot and I think probably prefers it that way!

[VWChick]

Another barefooter here!

I do have Rainbows and Birks for the time I MUST wear shoes though!

[spiderdust]

I have birks and Crocs

[Past_VNE]

I am a barefooter with a secret.

I spend the vast majority of my time, at home and otherwise, barefoot. The remainder of the time, I'm not only in shoes, but I'm loving my many shoes. :o

LOL....I have Borns, Danskos, Reef flipflops, running shoes, and quite a few pairs of sexy sexy, high heeled sandals.

DH loves it when I wear the high shoes, but then gets nervous and tells me to take them off, "so you don't ruin your beautiful feet!" He's sooo sweet. If I wear high shoes, he rubs my feet for me.

I love socks, actually, but they have to be really good socks. Thin cotton socks for sneakers and THICK wool socks all winter when I'm outdoors in shoes. I often wear the wool socks as slippers in the house, since I'm so cold blooded.

I, too, immediately unshod myself at my midwife's house for prenatals, and now at her house when we go to potlucks.

Our 17 mo son is most often barefoot. I catch a lot of flak about it, too, but don't care. He's happy like that, though he does bring his crocs or See Kai Run sandals, or Buskins and Moss Feet soft shoes to put on. (Gah, I'm as much of a baby shoe addict as I am for myself.)

The nice thing about soooo many shoes and so much time barefoot? Your shoes last you forever!

[trmpetplaya]

Yay! I thought there would be more barefooters around here (been meaning to start this thread for months now :shy).

I dislike socks very much on my feet, but I can't seem to get rid any even though we're trying to simplify. Maybe I need to cut into my sock collection (from before I found the joys of living barefoot).

The rope sandals at Nomadic State of Mind look so good! I would prefer those to flip-flops. I do love my hemp Rainbow sandals, but I hate that thingy between the toes (plastic is so much worse though!). Dh has worn out his Rainbows so we need to get more for him at least and might as well get me a pair as well. I've had my Rainbows longer, but I'm much lighter and not as rough on them as dh is. Thank you for the link, mother nurture!

I want to keep dd shoeless as much as possible. I got my mom to agree to get dd soft-soled shoes instead of toys for her next (first) few birthdays so that when she does need to wear them (cold etc.). At least we won't have to spend money on shoes :thumb

I heard somewhere that it's really not illegal to drive without shoes... http://www.barefooters.org/facts.html but I'm not sure where they got their info from. I have to unpack now (just moved), but maybe I'll search for it later...

love and peace. :love

[judybean]

A link posted earlier (ack, I can't recall now and it's after midnight!) created a wonderful moment tonight as I learned something new about dh! Yes, even five years into marriage and even having known each other since sixth grade (platonic then) there's still more to learn!!!!

Dh *loves* to be barefoot!!! He said it's how he always wants to be!

How the heck didn't I know this before? No answer there, but gosh that made my heart flutter. Ah, the man I married is wonderful indeed. He's quite the closet hippie (though not so closeted anymore! I'm teaching him to embrace all that he is!)!!!

...

I still can't figure out why in the world it would be illegal to drive barefoot. I mean come on! Isn't it MUCH MORE DANGEROUS to be driving with stiletto heels? wedge sandals?? steel-toed work boots with soles so thick you can't feel a thing???

[trmpetplaya]

...barefoot driving is perfectly legal! but the cops can charge you with negligent/reckless driving. You could challenge it in court though if the only reason was being barefoot.

http://web.archive.org/web/20030618105020/http://www.urbanlegends.com/legal/driving.barefoot/driving_barefoot.html

love and peace. :love

[celestialdreamer]

Now, they're not so bad. They're great for slipping over my Sigg bottles to keep my water nice and cold! :lol

As long as they aren't that nasty athletic sock material ones *shudders*

[spiderdust]

As long as they aren't that nasty athletic sock material ones *shudders*

100% cotton terry athletic socks are fine. Polyester athletic socks... ick.

[mother nurture]

When I have to wear shoes, I do prefer the nomadic state rope sandals. I'm glad that you liked the link trmpetplaya. I really don't care for flip flops. Dd is so cute...she has NEVER liked socks or shoes. On the off occassion that we did put some soft soles on her she made it her only task to figure out how to get them off:lol Whenever we go anywhere now, she always says, "Mama, I want to be barefoot." I just love the sound of her saying that.:thumb

So, where is everyones absolute favorite place to be barefoot and why?? I'll get back w/ mine later.

Peace, mamas

[walmin22]

[QUOTE=Past_VNE]I am a barefooter with a secret.

I spend the vast majority of my time, at home and otherwise, barefoot. The remainder of the time, I'm not only in shoes, but I'm loving my many shoes. :o


Me too. I love being barefoot! But love to have pretty shoes also. I don't wear shoes unless I'm going out. If I go to other people’s houses I take off my shoes. I don't have a policy for our house. But I have a friend that had a strict no-shoe policy for her house. For the friends/family that came over often she had a pair of slippers just for you (if you liked wearing slippers). When you walk into her house she has this cubbyhole set up. Each square block had your name and your slippers.

[itsang]

good idea about the guest slippers. i've gotten strange looks and the random "but, i'm only staying a minute" when i ask people to take their shoes off at my house. the slippers might make them a lil more comfy!:wink

another bonus of a no-shoe household are floors that are way less dirty!! it's cut my vacuuming time down immensly. :thumb

[trmpetplaya]

I was raised in a no-shoes-in-the-house household :thumb So I cannot even imagine wearing shoes inside! Though some people ask me if my feet are cold and tell me that I can keep my shoes on in their house... I tell them that I'm fine and most comfortable without shoes anyhow! Wearing shoes on carpet is so uncomfortable... for me at least :lol So my least favourite place to wear shoes is inside followed by sandy beaches because the sand is uncomfortable in a shoe, but so comfy on a bare foot.

My favourite place to go barefoot is the local farmer's market. It's outdoors and grassy and we're the only barefoot people there :D Second favourite place is the beach. I love sandy beaches against my bare feet!

Mother nurture - The rope sandals are so inexpensive too (compared to most shoe prices). I think we'll be getting three pairs - one for each of us - since there's no increase in shipping price after the first two.

love and peace. :love

[*daciaperfect*]

we have a no shoe rule here. we have had a few people complain, including my mother who felt it was more important to stand in the 3 foot square doorway than to take her shoes off and spend time here. good thing she doesnt come around anymore.

we felt we were at least nice enough to provide a bench at the door way for people so they could sit when taking their shoes off if needed. too bad its always covered with our crap! :lol

i love being barefoot. i get a lot of people who are weirded out by the fact that i will arrive somewhere and my shoes come off. often times i hear 'arent you worried about germs?'' honestly, im not. if i was, i would be dead already since germs are everywhere and i would have killed myself trying to be germ free.

[mother nurture]

I keep debating about getting dd a pair of the nomadic sandals. I honestly don't know if she would keep them on.

I have to admit that the no shoes rule in our house doesn't really keep the carpets any cleaner:o Marley, our loved dog, seems to stay on top of keeping them in a condition that need vaccuming on a daily basis.:irked:

My favorite place to be barefoot is stepping on stones across a creek. There is a beautiful one out in the mountains that I have been to a couple of times. I love the way the cold wet stones feel on my feet and how the creek rushes over the tops of my feet. A very close second, though is the beach, hence my location-Barefoot on the Beach!:wink

Peace mamas

[corwinegall]

nak

i never thought that driving barefoot could be illegal..... what would be the rationale behind that??

I have a pair of shoes that are dangerous to drive in! MIL gave me a pair and I wore them to her house to be polite, I about fell out of the truck holding the baby, they were so slippery. :dizzy:

[PhoebeM]

YEEESSSS! Welcome to the club. There really is no turning back. I've always been barefoot and my son shares the joy. We liked Robex for when we needed them-mostly becuase we could get them intown. I'll have to check out Rainbow Hemp
:thumb

[tsfairy]

I almost always wear shoes outside, especially when it gets hot since the ground really heats up round here. But as soon as I get into a house or somewhere I'll be up and down, the shoes come right off. I can't stand to have my shoes on at home, but I have TONS of shoes! I only wear a few pairs though, and for the past couple months it's been exclusively flip flops. Now that I work at home, I can be barefoot all the time at work. I had a meeting at the office today and had to not only wear shoes, but DRESS shoes that don't fit me right since I had DS. It was agony!

As for driving barefoot being illegal... someone once told me it was because way back when, the pedals in cars were metal with no covering, and they would get very hot in a closed up car and you could burn your feet. I don't know if that's true, or how much weight it holds outside of Texas, but it's an interesting theory.

DS is usually barefoot, but when he's somewhere he needs shoes, he always wears soft soled leather shoes. I think I read that these are the next best thing to being barefoot. Is this correct?

[spiderdust]

I have a pair of shoes that are dangerous to drive in! MIL gave me a pair and I wore them to her house to be polite, I about fell out of the truck holding the baby, they were so slippery. :dizzy:

:yikes: OMG! What kind of shoes were they?!?

[trmpetplaya]

It's so much safer to drive barefoot than in sandals or heels :thumb

love and peace. :love

[mother nurture]

Here's a link (http://http://platypaws.com/Info.htm) for the benefits of children being barefoot or wearing soft soled shoes...

When I went to buy a wedding dress w/ my mom for me and dh's wedding I remember her saying that we should go look at shoes. I refused, which was fine, being that we were married barefoot on the beach.

[corwinegall]

:yikes: OMG! What kind of shoes were they?!?

Believe it or not, they were babydoll flats. MIL got them at a thrift store. The bottoms were so slick, it was awlful, I hit the runnerbar and went flying. I did use the opportunity to justify a pair of Chacos :lol

[trmpetplaya]

When I went to buy a wedding dress w/ my mom for me and dh's wedding I remember her saying that we should go look at shoes. I refused, which was fine, being that we were married barefoot on the beach.

That sounds so nice! We got married at the justice of the peace (we were already married spiritually, so we just needed the legal aspect), but barefoot on the beach sounds so wonderful :thumb

I haven't gotten up the courage to try to go barefoot into stores yet (just into the swimming pool lobby). Have any of you tried it and gotten trouble about it or did anyone even notice or were you welcomed shoeless?

love and peace. :love

[spiderdust]

Ok, how do you ladies deal with hard and sharp soles in bed from barefooting? Or am I the only one having that problem?

I can pumice them, but won't I be taking some protection away from my feet if I do that?

[ChristinaLucia]

I love being barefoot - but I must say I wear flipflops in stores, etc. Barefoot in the office sure - barefoot in the gas station restroom, no way!

[KeanusMomma]

Wow, I didn't know this was so popular! I've always loved being barefoot, I'm known for taking off my shoes whenever possible. My friend and I used to go to Fall Fun Fest w/o out shoes, and walk around all evening that way, getting funny looks from people, which we loved. I'm known for taking my shoes off at work, and used to be known for taking my shoes off at school--I even got in trouble for in one day! I think ds likes it, too. Does it make sense that people say it's disgusting to walk around, getting your feet all dirty, when most people wear the same shoes every day w/o washing them?

I would think driving barefoot is a lot safer than driving with floppy or stiff sandals on. I like to keep a pair in my car in the summertime. When I drove a stick shift, I couldn't drive with shoes!

[Pepper44]

I love going barefoot too! My feet have no feeling for the most part on the bottoms from going barefoot so much as a little kid. I've left the house and gone places without shoes and not even realized it before, until we got there and someone else noticed I forgot them. Once it gets to be March I put away my shoes and socks and get out the flip flops for stores and eating out. I don't touch socks again until it gets too cold and nasty out for bare feet. In some places around here people won't look twice if you go in a gas station or something without shoes.

[ruthieroo]

I, too, love being barefoot. I own a couple pairs of flip flops and one pair of actual shoes. I think I own two pairs of socks.:p I nearly always drive barefoot. I feel much more in control of a car when I'm barefoot...I'm not so much a lead foot then. And someone may have already mentioned this but I'd try to find out if driving barefoot in your state is truly illegal. People kept telling me it was but when I took driver's ed. (in Minnesota) I was told by my instructor that it is NOT illegal but it's a common myth. Yes, I asked. ANd I took his word for it...he was a cop.

Now I live in Australia...when I first moved here I lived briefly in Queensland, then lived in New South Wales for some time and have just moved back to QLD...QLD seems to be a very barefoot-y sort of place. I'm always seeing people walking through grocery stores and such without shoes on. I feel quite at home.:D

[mother nurture]

Now I live in Australia...when I first moved here I lived briefly in Queensland, then lived in New South Wales for some time and have just moved back to QLD...QLD seems to be a very barefoot-y sort of place. I'm always seeing people walking through grocery stores and such without shoes on. I feel quite at home.:D

Sounds like a great place. I get lots of strange looks around here for more than one reason:lol One of course being me and barefoot dd.

Getting trouble in stores...I was asked to leave a few stores before when barefoot. One store, they said they had a "No shirt, no shoes, no service" sign on the door and I would be welcomed to come back w/ shoes. Funny thing was it was a store at the beach. Right on the ocean:irked:

For me it totally depends on the store and the restroom. I think a lot of it is just psychological for me. I use public restrooms at the beach and pools barefoot, but am leery about gas station bathrooms. I will walk into stores at the beach and other stores in town, but I wouldn't want to walk around the local goodwill in barefeet, yet I buy their clothes. I am a very silly lady:innocent

My feet are not horribly rough or hard, but they are very strong and not sensitive to things like hot pavement, rocks, etc. I was a barefoot child. Of course they are NOT by any means soft and subtle. Dh doesn't mind. Sometimes he'll lather them up w/ oil and give me a foot massage, but I really don't do much else besides wash them. I don't mind them being "walked and wandered in" as I like to call it.

Peace, mamas

[trmpetplaya]

My feet aren't rough at all... just kinda tough and leathery, but very flexible still! The best shoes are built in :thumb

love and peace. :love

[2mama]

I love to go barefoot, but do wear shoes when I go out to stores ect. DD really dislikes going shoeless, as does dh. BUT DS loves the fel of the earth under his feet!

[AuntMissy]

I can't stand shoes. I wear them to public places, stores, work, etc. But at home or even family/friends house, those shoes come off!
I usually have a couple of cheapo pairs of flipflops that I wear when I need to wear shoes. There was a very small rule about no flipflops (managers thought they looked too unprofessional) at my work, well that changed when I got here. :lol Now I'm known as the "flip flop girl".

My soles are pretty hard, but not rough if that makes any sense. I wouldn't scratch you with them in bed, but they're tough. :lol

DS loves being barefoot too and as soon as we get home from somewhere he's ripping off his shoes and running to play outside.

DP can't walk around the carpeted house without shoes on. :nut

[Silvercrest79]

I've always gone barefoot in the house (so did my mom), the yard whenever possible (should always be possible but DH won't corral the dog's duties to one area), and any place else I can. I do wear shoes to shop, and into public bathrooms.

My kids are like me especially my middle daughter, I can't keep clothes on her much less shoes. :lol Dh thinks I'm crazy. He always has to have socks on in the house.

I've been known to be barefoot or at least shoeless at work on many occasion. :thumb

[mother nurture]

My soles are pretty hard, but not rough if that makes any sense. I wouldn't scratch you with them in bed, but they're tough. :lol


I guess this better describes my soles. They are hard and tough. My heels, though, are a bit rough, especially in the summer time. Dh will occasionally says that my heels are scratchy:innocent Thus the reason I use oil.

Last night we were coming home from a book store, which might I say there was a lady walking around barefoot in, which surprised me. This is one of the stores I was asked to come back to when I had shoes. Anyway...we got in the car and all three of us quickly kicked off our shoes and there was this huge sound of relief and tense release. It like we all were finally at peace without our shoes.

Peace mamas

[paxye]

I am a barefoot mama when I can be... Winter in Quebec is a bit too cold for barefeet though I do go quickly to the car or to get things in the shed... but can't go for much longer then that in the snow and cold...

I can't drive with shoes at all so even at -30C I will take off my boot to drive...

In the summer I wear flip-flops when in stores etc but I am starting to get the urge to go barefoot all of the time...

This Summer I have two weddings to go to and I am so nervous because I need to find shoes to go with my dress... At my wedding 7 years ago I wore my doc marten sandles at my wedding... so I have no clue what to look for...

Great to find some other barefoot mamas!!!:thumb

[paxye]

For those who have a no shoe rule in the house as I have...
What do you do with people that bring "house shoes"... so many people come to my house and bring house shoes because they no I have a no shoe rule... I insults me like crazy but I don't know what to say... It is usually people like my MIL, my grandmother etc...
I just don't like shoes in my house... I don't care if they have never been outside.. It not the point! It insults me...
Dh thinks that I am looking for a fight since my no smoking rule includes anywhere that is 10 feet from the house so these people are already not happy...

[mother nurture]

As far as the house shoes...we've never had that experience.

[ewe+lamb]

Count us all in - we only wear shoes for out doors, our flat is a no-shoe zone, my kids wore the daisy roots (soft leather shoes) for out doors for ages but now that school is looming into view we're getting shoes. My feet have changed alot since becoming a SAHM and I may as well get rid of all the shoes that I never wear any longer, I do try quite hard to get rid of them but as I used to have a bit of a shoe fetish it's kinda hard!

[walmin22]

For those who have a no shoe rule in the house as I have...
What do you do with people that bring "house shoes"... so many people come to my house and bring house shoes because they no I have a no shoe rule... I insults me like crazy but I don't know what to say... It is usually people like my MIL, my grandmother etc...
I just don't like shoes in my house... I don't care if they have never been outside.. It not the point! It insults me...
Dh thinks that I am looking for a fight since my no smoking rule includes anywhere that is 10 feet from the house so these people are already not happy...

I would guess it would depend on the person but it could be that the people who bring "house shoes" are not trying to insult you. It might be that they don't like the way their feet look or they might even be stinky. I know when I used to work, wearing stocking made my feet "real ripe". :blush They could kill someone! Plus I think that older people such as your grandmother were told over and over again that they must wear shoes when they were younger. Or then again they could be trying to drive you out of your mind. :wink

[Alkenny]

We're barefoot here most of the time...the kids and me...DH is slowly getting into it (after 14 years :lol).

As for houseshoes, I agree that some people have just grown up thinking they HAD to have something on their feet. They say that you lose most of your heat through your head and feet (extremities), and without adequate heating sources in the past, everyone kept their feet covered even indoors. That thinking gets ingrained into people.

[paxye]

I would guess it would depend on the person but it could be that the people who bring "house shoes" are not trying to insult you.
I agree with you... I don't believe that they are trying to insult me... However, it does! I have a friend that I visit often and for religious reasons everyone must take their shoes off in the house, no houseshoes etc... even repair men etc are asked to take off their shoes...
That is what I would love in my house...

[trmpetplaya]

Those of you with barefoot children, do you ever get threatened about CPS or anything? Would it be prudent to bring a pair of shoes for your dc along just in case someone questioned you? What about in the winter? Then do you just use soft-soled shoes? Which ones?

love and peace. :love

[WickidaWitch]

if it weren't for all the bugs i see on the ground i would always be shoe-less in my yard and driveway when the kids play(we never leave these 2 places). The thought of stepping on one though gives me the creeps.

[paxye]

We love www.nomadicstate.com They are beautifully made and oh so comfortable. Definitely check them out.:thumb

Thanks SO much for that link... I ordered some and they got here yesterday... OMG they are amazing!! I LOVE them!!!
I was a bit scared that they would be scratchy but not at all... so soft and so light that I feel like I am barefoot in them....

[KeanusMomma]

I'm trying to figure out why it would be illegal to drive barefoot. That seems incredibly stupid!
On one of the links in that first starting post, they prove there is no law about driving barefoot. Or in food establishments.

[Peace~*]

:wink Oh, i believe i am.... But only part-time.... i was more so as a child and through my teenage years.
My lil Brother actually commented that he thought it was ,"COOL" that i didn't wear shoes.:wink
Subbing.... i'll be inspired!:thumb
Peace~*:rainbow

[myjulybabes]

I'm one that loves how shoes look, but hate how they feel! So I have too many shoes, most of which get worn for a couple hours at a time when I get dressed up to go out somewhere, then kicked off as soon as possible. Dd is the same way. She looooooooves to buy new shoes, and put them on with a pretty dress, but as soon as we walk into a house (ours or someone elses) off they go. I go outside barefoot when I can, but we're in the midwest so we get really cold winters and really hot summers, so spring and fall are my only options.

My current shoes of choice when I have to wear them are Crocs. LOVE THEM! Both my kids have a pair too. It's like walking on pillows, they are so fabulous. And unlike my birks, if they get wet, they dont' feel slimy and they dry really fast.

I'm actually limping right now because I stepped on a shard of dog bone (thank goodness my feet found it, not their digestive systems!) and tore up the arch/instep area of my foot, but I still can't fathom wearing shoes in the house to prevent such things.

[judybean]

Thanks SO much for that link... I ordered some and they got here yesterday... OMG they are amazing!! I LOVE them!!!
I was a bit scared that they would be scratchy but not at all... so soft and so light that I feel like I am barefoot in them....

Gosh... I didn't even follow the link before (thinking they would probably be out of my price range)... but.. $25!! Gosh.... I really must get to selling something to get some because those look SO LOVELY!!!

Even dh, who not too long ago used 'hippie' like it was a bad word, is coming around to all my 'crazy ideas' (and by 'crazy' I mean eating more natural, using less and/or no detergent, going barefoot, not shaving, making things from scratch, etc)... and I bet he'd *love* something like that....

Father's day *is* tomorrow... and I could tell him his present is in the mail...... now what could I sell to earn $30 in pp? hm...... ;)

[mother nurture]

Thanks SO much for that link... I ordered some and they got here yesterday... OMG they are amazing!! I LOVE them!!!
I was a bit scared that they would be scratchy but not at all... so soft and so light that I feel like I am barefoot in them....

I am so glad that you love them!! I saw them at a festival and fell inlove. One of the founders just bought a place at the beach here. I'm hoping that I can catch up w/ them and stock up for dd, me and dh. Any other sandals I have had have been removed from our place. These are the only ones I feel I need.

*They do get really wet in the rain, though. Doesn't bother me b/c I love being barefoot in the rain, but in case anyone else doesn't like wet shoes...feet.:thumb

[mother nurture]

Those of you with barefoot children, do you ever get threatened about CPS or anything? Would it be prudent to bring a pair of shoes for your dc along just in case someone questioned you? What about in the winter? Then do you just use soft-soled shoes? Which ones?

love and peace. :love

I never even thought about CPS. Although dd is 2, she still enjoys being in the sling when we are out at stores. If it is cold out, which is only a couple months, since we live at the beach...she has always had socks or fleece vegan soft soles on. We love bluebirdbaby.com for the soft shoes (she's a mama on here), but I think she's closing her store. They are very reasonable, vegan, warm, and well made.

[lonestarmommy]

Barefoot and lovin' it! Love the fact that my job doesn't require them (SAHM) and wear flip flops year round for those places where I am required to wear them. Didn't realize how many others there are out there. I hate, hate, hate it when people wear shoes in my house! MIL can't seem to comply with the rule, one of many things that drive me crazy, and she isn't polite enough to wear "house shoes." Nope, she says her feet hurt too much to go barefoot so she wears the nastiest, ragged out pair of shoes imaginable--perfect for trapping dirt and leaves to track in all over my carpet. :irked:

[Peace~*]

Yes, i am a sandal girl. If not barefoot. So, it's allways very airy here. My Kiddos wear sandals, an ebay knock-off of "Robees" type shoes... or bare. Depends n the day.
i love my Birks and my EcoDragon (http://www.rawganique.com/footwear2.htm#original) All Hemp Sandals. i have worn this pair of "Originals" for three years and they are Wonderful! The foot bed forms right to your foot.
BUT as we all know BARE is My more Fun! When you must, make them worthwhile.:thumb
Peace~*:rainbow

[Peace~*]

Thanks SO much for that link... I ordered some and they got here yesterday... OMG they are amazing!! I LOVE them!!!
I was a bit scared that they would be scratchy but not at all... so soft and so light that I feel like I am barefoot in them....

I am so glad that you love them!! I saw them at a festival and fell inlove. One of the founders just bought a place at the beach here. I'm hoping that I can catch up w/ them and stock up for dd, me and dh. Any other sandals I have had have been removed from our place. These are the only ones I feel I need.

*They do get really wet in the rain, though. Doesn't bother me b/c I love being barefoot in the rain, but in case anyone else doesn't like wet shoes...feet.:thumb

i had the same thoughts about the ecoDragon ones and this is not the case at all. so soft and yet very durable!

Peace~*:rainbow

[trmpetplaya]

Yes, i am a sandal girl. If not barefoot. So, it's allways very airy here. My Kiddos wear sandals, an ebay knock-off of "Robees" type shoes... or bare. Depends n the day.
i love my Birks and my EcoDragon (http://www.rawganique.com/footwear2.htm#original) All Hemp Sandals. i have worn this pair of "Originals" for three years and they are Wonderful! The foot bed forms right to your foot.
BUT as we all know BARE is My more Fun! When you must, make them worthwhile.:thumb
Peace~*:rainbow

I LOVE ecodragon hemp sandals!!!!! I thought they went out of business (my boss at the hemp store said they did or I thought he said that....) but never bothered to look them up. I got the last pair at my boss' store. They just happened to be my size too!

Thank you for posting the link!!!

love and peace. :love

[trmpetplaya]

So today is my third day in a row of not wearing shoes!!! It's been so sunny lately, I love it! We went to a restaurant today (it's just a little building on the corner with outdoor seating). Dh and I were both barefoot (so was dd, but she was slung so nobody could tell at first) and so I was sitting there eating lunch, nursing my almost 8 month old, barefoot, with hairy legs. I should have worn a tank top so that I could REALLY have gotten some stares :lol Actually, one other patron smiled at me when I started nursing dd. Some teenage girls seemed a bit put off by our bare feet, but nobody said anything :thumb

I'm getting more courage about barefooting more places! It's so much more comfortable...

love and peace. :love

[noordinaryspider]

Great links at the beginning of the thread, trmpetplaya; can I join in?

As a child, I was known as "the barefoot girl" and left many bare footprints in the snow outside of Philly. I can't stand shoes, and even in the winter with the price of fuel and my low tolerance to cold what they are I can't stand to cover my feet in my own house.

I was vaguely aware of barefooting as a lifestyle, since it's one of the cool things that my daughter's boy friend (as opposed to boyfriend) is known for. dd wears $1.99 flip flops outdoors most of the time.

Your posts have been inspiring me to reclaim who I always was. I've gone barefoot in public the last two days and the earth didn't stop turning. My barefoot hike in the redwoods today was delightful.

[Thursday Girl]

well i read almost the entire thread but i am very tired so i just want to post real quick. I am a barefooter!! Their is a picture of me about 18 months old with dirty feet and ankles. my entire life, i love it. they are tough and leathery and sometimes the edges around the heels get mucho cracked, to the point i could stick a fingernail in.

i was told that junk about driving barefoot being illegal. i asked when i got my drivers liscense. it's not. I take my right shoe off as soon as i fget in the car.
my kiddo is a barefooter too. which is funny b/c when dh and iwer still dating i said my kid would never wear shoes, and he said his child would always wear shoes. I told him we should never have kids. Two kids later, and they are usually barefoot, it really bugs me when people tell them they have to wear shoes to go outside. I interject and tell them they dont have to.

courtney

[Kidzaplenty]

I, too, and a barefoot mom. Usually barefoot and pregnant! (Which I am now.)

I have one pair of shoes and they are "Earth Shoe Sandles". I only put them on if I have to go to a store or out. If I am in a place for a while (not counting stores) I kick them off when I walk in the door. I buy a new pair once a year and will wear them rain, shine, snow, or ice if I HAVE to put something on. I go barefoot outside all the time and have very tough feet. I only get the scratchy part around the outside of my heal and will file that down every once in a while and put on lotion. My DH is not "into" feet (he thinks mine are too big) so he doesn't care what they look like.

I can't do the shoe free house, though, because my MIL taught my DH that shoes are a must! I don't think I have ever seem her feet. And my DH will not get out of bed in the morning until he puts his shoes on. He even wears slippers in the shower! (OK, I know he's nuts!):scratch

As for my children, they are just like me. They all have running shoes and sandles, but mostly are barefoot. I have actually had people ask me if my children needed shoes because they would wear sandles out when it was freezing. And socks? What are they?:confused: It must have been over two years since I have worn any running shoes, or anything other than my sandles.

Nice to know I am not alone.:jumpers:

[trmpetplaya]

The local grocery store has no shoe policy and they don't care if we barefoot there!!! Since we can walk there, this is a very good thing. We won't have to carry our shoes just to put them on when we get there.

Today ended my 4 day streak of not wearing shoes. I wore sandals for about five minutes (till we determined that the store was fine with bare feet) and it was awful. I think I'm addicted to barefooting now :p It feels so natural!

love and peace. :love

[mother nurture]

Yesterday I ran into a bit of a problem w/ being barefoot. The school I teach at, although it is a hippie type, child is the teacher school, requires everyone wear shoes. There have been many times when I just ignore it and walk around in my barefeet. Yesterday, though, I found myself telling the children that we need to keep our shoes on:irked: I am running a summer camp, so it is a bit different than school, but I am suppose to keep the rules the same. Any suggestions? I never ran into this issue before b/c there is another teacher in the room during the school year and she is very "Need shoes.

[Tonia80]

I have always been a barefoot type and after living in flip flops with my first pregnancy I think I have worn nothing but that since except for a handful of times. And even those only when I need to.
I have a question though, was reading through some literature on the subject and realized it is NOt against any true health code to be barefoot in public places where a sign posted may say it is. It also is not illegal to drive barefoot and I always thought it was! I am wondering if you can be refused service or not be allowed in a business for being barefoot for real? Is it something where thay truly have the right to make it a rule on thier own? Or is it a violation of our rights in some way? Anyone????

[trmpetplaya]

I have always been a barefoot type and after living in flip flops with my first pregnancy I think I have worn nothing but that since except for a handful of times. And even those only when I need to.
I have a question though, was reading through some literature on the subject and realized it is NOt against any true health code to be barefoot in public places where a sign posted may say it is. It also is not illegal to drive barefoot and I always thought it was! I am wondering if you can be refused service or not be allowed in a business for being barefoot for real? Is it something where thay truly have the right to make it a rule on thier own? Or is it a violation of our rights in some way? Anyone????

The Society for Barefoot Living ( http://www.barefooters.org/ ) is a group that lobbies for barefoot rights. It is definitely a violation of our rights to not be allowed into a business because of bare feet. If a business is discriminating against bare feet then you can write letters to the manager/owner with a copy of a letter from the health dept in your state (available from the SBL website) and a letter from you stating that you will not be spending any money at their business until they cease discrimination. They are usually reasonable after that :thumb

SBL also has a yahoo group that I just joined. It is so wonderful and informative! I highly recommend it to all of you! You can join it from their website.

Mother Nurture - I'm not sure... maybe telling them that when they're grownups they can go barefoot as much as they want :shrug They are more likely to get hurt than an adult going barefoot because they don't have as much experience, etc.

I've been volunteering at the local Rotary Club's auction and rummage sale this week. It's been interesting to see how people react to my bare feet. The first day only one person said anything at all. She was an older lady who isn't in my department (I work in books and was wandering about checking out the other depts). I had dd in a maya wrap also so I was pretty conspicuous. She said "You really should be wearing shoes." I said that I was more comfortable not wearing them. She said that she never wears them at home, but wouldn't dream of not wearing them out and about. I didn't comment on that. She then told me that I was carrying precious cargo and that she was still recovering from something falling on her foot the year before. The thing about that is that I would have been wearing flip-flops if anything and they wouldn't protect my foot from being crushed anyhow...lots of other volunteers wear flip-flops...

The next day nobody said anything. The day after that an older lady asked me if I walked on the streets barefoot and I said yes, I go barefoot everywhere and that it's much healthier than wearing shoes. She said that it was not because people spit on the street (OMG!) and dogs poop. I told her that I don't step in dog poop, but it would just wipe right off if I did happen to. I started in on how shoes disfigure feet and she said that she wasn't going to convince me and that was that.

Later that day, an older gentleman told me "your feet aren't getting any cleaner!" I said "no, but they sure are comfortable!"

Today an older lady (talking to dd) said, "how very sensible to not wear shoes on a day like today." I said that it definitely was a great day to be barefoot!

It's been lovely barefooting weather around here! Upper 80s :D

love and peace. :love

[Zamber]

I have one pair of shoes and they are "Earth Shoe Sandles".

I have a pair of those - super comfortable :thumb . However, my pair has seen the last of it's days as they have started to fall apart on me under the toes. I have had them for about five years, worn in all kinds of weather. They have taken a lot of abuse, and could probably go longer.

In the spirit of trying something new, I just ordered a new pair of sandles from Nomadic State of Mind (thank-you for the link trmpetplaya! :D). I can't wait until they get here!:bgbounce

I do go barefoot when I can, mostly in the house and around my yard. All of the members of my family have a no shoe rule in their house - it is considered impolite to not take them off. I would go barefoot in other family members yards, but they all use so many chemical fertilizers and weed killers it makes me feel icky. So, I do use shoes there.

[K's Mom!]

On Saturday, I was just saying how much better I felt without my shoes on. I just chuckled at myself thinking I was a bit wacky. :lol Guess not! I am so happy to know that you all think the same way! I have been this way my entire life. I grew up in a socks/ barefoot indoors home and have continued this. I also ask guests to remove their shoes inside. My DD also enjoys being bare foot. I will wear sandals outside until it is about 30 degrees (F.) at the beginning of winter. Than I slip on my fake Ugg boots. I have been known to wear my sandals with snow on the ground. I never would have thought about going to the store or out to eat without sandals on though. Does anyone know if it is illegal to drive barefoot? I think it is in my state.

[mother nurture]

Mother Nurture - I'm not sure... maybe telling them that when they're grownups they can go barefoot as much as they want :shrug They are more likely to get hurt than an adult going barefoot because they don't have as much experience, etc.

The first camp is over, but I have another one I am running in a couple weeks. I think that I am going to do a "shoes on outside" thing. I have no issue w/ shoes being off at anytime, but because of the concern (the school is in a house next to a big Fraternity house that throws beer bottles and who knows what else in our yard on Sat. nights:irked: ). Just to be safe, I probably should have them wear shoes outside.:(

Thank you for sharing all the comments during your volunteer experience. It always amazes me how people feel the need to comment on other people's choices. I had to laugh at the dog poop:lol I've stepped in dog poop before and it feels so strange between your toes:scratch The spit on the street...sure people spit on the street, but that doesn't bother me. I will say that I have seen many people urinate on the streets downtown here after being out at bars.:tsk


Peace mamas.

[simplespirit]

I wear shoes when I run and I must wear shoes at work (a hospital/patient care). As soon as I get home, I am barefootin' it. I slip on birkies for the grocery store or what not. Barefoot looks so good with all of my hippie skirts!

And barefoot is cheap cheap cheap!

[paxye]

SBL also has a yahoo group that I just joined. It is so wonderful and informative! I highly recommend it to all of you! You can join it from their website.


I have been trying to join for a long time now... well over a year and the link from their site just sends me to the main page of Yahoo groups and a search turns up empty or with local groups... Can you post or pm me the link to the actual group?

thanks :)

[paxye]

oops... double post

[HoneyTree]

Happy Day! What a fun thread! Say, does anyone know of a fun siggy sign that looks like a footprint?

I grew up in Central Florida, sans shoes almost all the time, except, as a previous poster mentioned, in bark mulch (especially that horrible fake-red stuff!). I'm barefoot everywhere except in public, and then wearing Birks, Crocs, and the occasional generic flip flop with a fabric (vs. plastic--ouch!) thong part. Honestly, the issue of not wearing shoes in public had never even occurred to me until I read this thread! I'm kind of embarrassed at my level of unconscious acculturation!!!

I had to defend bare feet to a friend whose main concern, understandably, was the many many fire ant beds around here. I personally find that in bare feet, you are 1) more cautious about ant beds, 2) more likely to see and feel the FIRST ant so you can deal with it quicker, and 3) better able to quickly get all the ants off of you--it's much easier to brush ants off of bare feet than to dig them out of socks and shoes.

Thanks for the links, mamas!

[paxye]

Well, I have gotten over my need to wear shoes in public places... I have been barefoot completely for nearly a week and I love it... I do bring my new nomadic sandles with me in the car but I love feeling all of the textures on my feet... especially the cold floor of the supermarket...

My older ds has also been going barefoot all of the time too... I never really talked about it to him but he just commented on my going barefoot when I was about to get out of the car at the store and said that he didn't want shoes either.... So there we were... Me, barefoot and pregnant holding a barefoot 22 month old in a sling and holding a barefoot 4 yo's hand... He loves going into stores barefoot and giggles at the textures.... I love this!

[trmpetplaya]

Well, I have gotten over my need to wear shoes in public places... I have been barefoot completely for nearly a week and I love it... I do bring my new nomadic sandles with me in the car but I love feeling all of the textures on my feet... especially the cold floor of the supermarket...

My older ds has also been going barefoot all of the time too... I never really talked about it to him but he just commented on my going barefoot when I was about to get out of the car at the store and said that he didn't want shoes either.... So there we were... Me, barefoot and pregnant holding a barefoot 22 month old in a sling and holding a barefoot 4 yo's hand... He loves going into stores barefoot and giggles at the textures.... I love this!

That's so cool! I love the textures too :thumb I really hadn't thought about going barefoot in public before a couple weeks ago so I was pretty culturally brainwashed :p Now I've been barefoot for the past 1.5 weeks. A four day stretch, then a three day stretch, and now another four day (soon to be five!). It's great that most people haven't even mentioned my bare feet while I've been volunteering. Nobody said anything today.

The Yahoo group is called sbl-list. The link is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sbl-list/ You do have to fill out a bunch of questions (to keep the list free from foot fetish people and such, I think) for screening, but it's well worth the time and effort to answer them! It's a pretty active list with at least 10 messages a day so I do the daily digest thing. It seems to be mostly men posting on the list thus far, but I haven't been a part of it for very long so maybe most of the women are just lurking. It'd be awesome to have more MDC mamas there though!

love and peace. :love

[noordinaryspider]

Well, I drove barefoot for the first time today. It just kind of HAPPENED. I've been walking barefoot and carrying flip flops for about a week and a half, other than two days when I overdid it and had to let some blisters on the soles of my feet heal (and did they ever heal FAST compared to my shoe-induced blisters). I usually put on the flip-flops when I get in the car or arrive at the store I'm walking to and then slip them off when I get out. My mind was elsewhere, I sat down in the car, slipped off the flip-flops, and didn't even notice until I was several blocks down the road.

It feels MUCH safer than driving in flip-flops.

Thank you so much for this thread, trumpetplaya. I was actually dreading having to go barefoot not too long ago. My Doc Martins wore out and the only shoes I can afford are way too uncomfortable to allow me to walk as much as I want and need to. I have fairly large feet so shoes are something I can never find at the thrift store.

It really is much more comfortable this way and I haven't gotten any negative comments at all yet. Hopefully I can toughen up my soles enough to keep this up fairly far into the winter.

[mother nurture]

Me, barefoot and pregnant holding a barefoot 22 month old in a sling and holding a barefoot 4 yo's hand... He loves going into stores barefoot and giggles at the textures.... I love this!

This is such a BEAUTIFUL picture, mama!!
I remember being at a festival when I was almost 9 months pregnant w/ dd and dancing around barefoot. Such a wonderful memory.

Welcome to all the new mamas.

Yesterday it rained and dd and I went walking around afterward. I love the way everything changes after a rain and how it feels under your feet.

Peace barefootn' mamas

[cfiddlinmama]

I was talking to my dh about driving barefoot (which I've been doing reg. now since this awesome tribe showed up in my life!) and he said "I LOVE driving barefoot!" He's been going barefoot a ton. Even on walks in the woods. (This is the guy who got his first pair of sandals 2 years ago and I had to do some pretty hard convincing to get him to do that!)

I still haven't gotten up the nerve to go into a store barefoot. I'm a little worried about the icky germ thing.....

Two Sundays now I have gone to church barefoot though. I LOVE it. I figured, God loves me for who I am, and I am someone who doesn't wear shoes so why should I wear them to church?! I had some people tell me I looked cute. And my MIL said that the barefeet looked perfect with my dress!! Much better reactions than to me going hairy but that's another story!.....

Very much OT but I was given these two chickens and they are running free in my yard until I get a fenced yard for them. They have taken a liking to me and follow me around. I live in a passive solar berm house and the whole front of the house is windows. The bottom of the windows are at ground level (it's about waist level inside) so my chickens (Hercules and HennyPenny) stand outside the windows wherever I am! When I'm at the computer, or in the kitchen, they stand outside the window and watch me! It's is so cool! Alright, so I'm crazy but I love my barefoot chickens! Have a happy barefootin day! Ciao~

[bamamom]

i always wondered where i belong!:lol I go barefoot all the time, except when we go out.

When I'm pg, I CANNOT stand shoes, and only wore them from car to building, and then kicked them off . went barefoot even in the mall...no one ever said anything to me

[Peace~*]

Hey all... It's so good to see so many familliar names from other forums. This is nice!

i'm posting this link for Barefoot Children (http://www.unshod.org/pfbc/)based on the recent questions.

i am surprised when searching for more info and groups or activities, how little info or outdated info there is out there. We need a Head count on this thread and begin something new. i'll check out the Yahoo group.
Because obviously all barefooters are not OFF THE GRID!

Walk Well,
Peace Mamas:grouphug
~*:rainbow

[Peace~*]

... Two Sundays now I have gone to church barefoot though. I LOVE it. I figured, God loves me for who I am, and I am someone who doesn't wear shoes so why should I wear them to church?! I had some people tell me I looked cute. And my MIL said that the barefeet looked perfect with my dress!! Much better reactions than to me going hairy but that's another story!..... ...
... Love this! So TRUE! It's Spiritual and a total trust. As with Loving our natural bodies and all the hair that comes with it! It's so funny, the societal judgments, when it comes to Natural Living. You'd think UN-Natural Would be weird to people. i found these reactions when talking about Natural foods with folks. Processed Non-food is "Normal":dizzy:?

Live Well,
Peace~*:rainbow

[Zamber]

My nomadic sandles arrived today - I LOVE THEM!!!!:love They feel like you are wearing nothing at all. Free the feet!!!

[paxye]

My nomadic sandles arrived today - I LOVE THEM!!!!:love They feel like you are wearing nothing at all. Free the feet!!!

Aren't they cool!!! Mine are sitting in the car and I haven't worn them much but they are definately the only shoes that I will wear until winter....
Which ones did you get?

[paxye]

This is such a BEAUTIFUL picture, mama!!
I remember being at a festival when I was almost 9 months pregnant w/ dd and dancing around barefoot. Such a wonderful memory.

Yesterday it rained and dd and I went walking around afterward. I love the way everything changes after a rain and how it feels under your feet.

Ahhhhh...:loveeyes: Thanks! :)

That sounds like an amazing memory....

Ds and I have loved walking in the puddles everywhere... and I love walking in wet grass...

[Zamber]

Aren't they cool!!! Mine are sitting in the car and I haven't worn them much but they are definately the only shoes that I will wear until winter....
Which ones did you get?

I got natural color JC's. I wanted something with a heel strap but nothing between my toes. :) I did make the mistake of trying them out on my kitchen floor, and nearly fell on my butt sliding around.:lol

[paxye]

I got natural color JC's. I wanted something with a heel strap but nothing between my toes. :) I did make the mistake of trying them out on my kitchen floor, and nearly fell on my butt sliding around.:lol

I bought the same ones and made the same mistake :lol

[trmpetplaya]

We also got the natural coloured JC's! For the whole family (dd won't fit in hers for a while, we got them BIG for her :lol)!

I actually only tried mine on in bed and have been carrying them around for 4 days now without putting them on once :thumb

love and peace. :love

[mother nurture]

Hello mamas! I am so happy everyone at least likes the way that the nomadic sandals look and felt trying them on:lol When I saw Chris at a local festival vending he immediately gave me the brown and purple JCs to try on. Well...those are the ones I ended up w/.

Sorry about not warning any of you about the slipping on the floor:innocent I did actually fall flat on my bum in the kitchen:dizzy:

Peace*~

[Zamber]

Hey, at least I know that I am not the only one with the sliding problem!:lol

I rarely if ever put any shoes on DS (unless it is really cold). I have been asked by all kinds of people "Doesn't he have any shoes?". Of course he does, but he takes them off anyway!:lol Who says little ones are not smart?:wink Not too long ago a relative tried to give my DH a lecture about putting "proper supportive shoes" on DS, and he quickly put her in her place :thumb .

[walmin22]

Just a little rant so please bear with me. Let me 1st say I love my MIL to death. I really do. I get along with her better then my own Mom. That said......I have told her many times that being barefoot is best for babies. If they are to wear shoes I have told her the kinds of shoes I perfer them to wear. But she can't resist on buying outfits that come with shoes attached. She came home with an outfit the other day that came with sandels and a hat. I think she would have learned with my 1st son that the hat and shoes never fit! I guess it is a good think they don't then I don't have to hurt her feeling when the kids don't wear them. I know she doesn't mean to go against my wishes she just forgets! And I really don't want her wasting her money on this kind of stuff. Ok I'm done and I feel better!

[Zamber]

Aw, she probably can't resist how tiny they are :Hug . You can always donate them, or get crafty and make things with of them. I do know of quite a few grandparents who like to hang the baby shoes from the rear view mirror - ask her if she would like to do that:)

Anyways, I have a question for you all. What or who was your first inspiration to go barefoot? My first inspiration was my Grandmother. She never wore shoes unless there was a real need for it. When she passed away, one of her requests was to be buried with absolutely nothing on her feet. I remember my family members gathered around her casket when they lifted the bottom half so we all could double check to make sure her wish was granted (she used to tease us that she would come back and haunt us if we didn't.:lol ). :)

[spiderdust]

Freecycle the extra shoes, but keep the outfits!

[judybean]

well, my inspiration now is my mom.

no, she's not shoeless At All -- but that's part of my inspiration. She has terrible, terrible looking hammer toes on both feet. To fix them she'd probably have to have her feet broken and reset. It's not worth it to her to have it done (and I can't blame her for that)... so she just deals with it day to day.... she has to find quite wide shoes to accomodate her feet and has only one pair of sandals she'll wear because they dont' show her toes that much.

I mean this in the nicest way, but I don't want my feet to end up like that. I figure the best thing I can do for my feet is keep them out of confining shoes :D

[walmin22]

Aw, she probably can't resist how tiny they are :Hug . You can always donate them,

No she does not have the will power to resist! My 1st son has XW feet with a high instep. She tried so hard to buy him cute crib shoes and/or slippers. When we finally had his feet measured we figured out why nothing worked. Very few kids shoes are made in XW. I do keep the outfits but I donate the shoes to Birthright (a crisis pregnancy organization). My Aunt works at one and she loves to see me come over with a big box of stuff that's unused with tags!

Who inspired me to love being barefoot? I don’t know. It could be that most shoes just hurt my feet. When I was young my parents didn’t have any money (they were 18 & 19 when they had me). So I always had cheap shoes. I can still remember when I was finally able to get my 1st pair of Nikes! They were white with a red swish. I even squeezed my feet into pumps with socks lined with lace! (Boy was I a slave to fashion.) But they both killed my feet! So as far back as I can remember I would go around barefooted when I could!

[**guest**]

My son has a very high instep too. Mine is high but not as bad as his.
We go barefoot in home but we can't outside. There's just too much glass, etc, everywhere. Plus, I live in an apt complex and I've found some dangerous things on the ground outside.
Even if I wear shoes when I am out, I tend to take them off when I'm sitting down. I forget sometimes and walk around in the cafe without shoes on. Sometimes I get in trouble, sometimes I don't.
Got in trouble for it at the library. LOL.
I would love some of those nomad sandals. Can't afford it though. And I wonder about fit because I have a wide foot.
I get plantars fasciites (sp?) at times and the specialist told me that I really should wear shoes with arch support. I can't AFFORD good shoes so that doesn't usually happen. heh.
Another reason i like to go barefoot is because my feet sweat so much. Seems like in the last 10 yrs, I've gotten really stinky sweaty feet. Ugh. :D

[paxye]

Who inspired me...
No one really... I just love the feeling of being barefoot and I have since I was a baby... I would fight shoes then (I had those special booties with the metal pieces because my feet turn in) and I fight shoes now...
I also have wide feet and have trouble finding shoes that are comfy and don;t give me ingrown toenails... I have already had 5 surgeries on my nails because of that..

[paxye]

Oh... I went to a new Chiro two days ago and they noticed that I came in barefoot and thought it was really good... however, in my exam he noticed that I have very flat feet and said that it was probably the cause of my knee problem... my feet are flat, my knees are more together and my feet turn inwards and that it is a probable cause for my back problems... and said that I should go see a podiatrist... :irked:
I was talking to him and his wife after (they are the 2 chiros that own and run the place) and they said that normally going barefoot is best but that with my "problem" shoes with a high arch would be better...

What do you think of that....

I love being barefoot and can't stand shoes... It is not me and I would not be able to do it..

[beansricerevolt]

yay for barefoot families! I am barefoot as much as possible. Its pretty gross in our city (Hammond IN) and can't bring myself to walking barefoot unless its in our neighborhood. I often walk to the store or post office and wish I could do it barefoot:( Its such a littered city and Im afraid Im going to step on glass.

[paxye]

Well I checked out a bit more about flat feet and what I have is that it is a bit controversial... Some people believe that insoles are needed to correct flat feet and other say that bare footing is better because it strengthens the muscles... I think that the barefooting argument is better… the insoles have always hurt my feet because they are not natural and are doing nothing to correct the problem… going barefoot will help make my feet stronger…

[noordinaryspider]

Kind of funny kind of sad story to share today. I've been talking with my parents about barefooting just because I thought it would bring back fond memories of a little girl who was so well-known for her tendency to remove her shoes as soon as (sometimes before) the snow melted. I've shared what I've learned about misconceptions and I've shared that there are many of us and I've diffused comments about more serious issues we'd disagree on by changing the subject to barefooting.

Sadly, the more things change, the more they stay the same; I'd still rather have them tell me that I need to put ds in school and send dd to the homeless shelter so I can work a minimum wage job to pay for SHOES than for the other reasons they might attack my parenting, which are more triggering and which I fell less confident about.

It may be hard to find work in my little town, but I absolutely love the fact that I have yet to hear a single negative comment about barefooting in public. I have a pair of cheap athletic shoes that are okay for bicycling even though I can't walk in them without pain, a pair of flip-flops to carry when I don't want to deal with "no shoes no shirt no service" and feet for WALKING.

I'm hoping that my feet will toughen up enough that the cold won't bother me in the winter; my dear departed Doc Martins were leaking for the past two winters and freezing my toes off in soaked socks was no fun. Sure there will be puddles, but skin dries so much faster than wool.

[Zamber]

Oh... I went to a new Chiro two days ago and they noticed that I came in barefoot and thought it was really good... however, in my exam he noticed that I have very flat feet and said that it was probably the cause of my knee problem... my feet are flat, my knees are more together and my feet turn inwards and that it is a probable cause for my back problems... and said that I should go see a podiatrist... :irked:
I was talking to him and his wife after (they are the 2 chiros that own and run the place) and they said that normally going barefoot is best but that with my "problem" shoes with a high arch would be better...

What do you think of that....

I love being barefoot and can't stand shoes... It is not me and I would not be able to do it..

Well, I don't know what would be best for you, but I can share with you my experience with flat feet. When I was in elementary school, my family had noticed that my feet flatten out when I step down (my feet do have an arch when no weight is put on them). So, I was taken to a foot doc, where over the course of several years thousands of dollars were spent on special made supportive shoe inserts, doctor bills (insurance wouldn't cover it at the time), I was only allowed to wear althletic shoes with high arches, and was told I couldn't do any competitive sports or wear high heels. Well, I did what I was told, and to me it caused more problems. My feet and back started hurting me. I went that route for about ten years, and in the end it did nothing for me...if anything my feet had gotten weaker. Once I hit eighteen I rebelled, and stopped doing what I was "suppose to do" in regards to my feet. The back pain did get really bad when I first stopped because my body had gotten dependant on me wearing the support. I am still going to the chiropracter to help my back heal up, but they can only do so much - the damage has already been done. My feet have now gotten stronger, and have started correcting themselves on their own since I have left them alone. I think the reason I even developed flat feet to begin with is because I was not an active child....I never really was allowed to run around. So, my feet never got the exercise they needed, and you know the old saying - use it or lose it. So, letting my feet go bare and being more active has helped me. :)

[trmpetplaya]

:yeah:

My dh has flat feet. They used to be much worse, but now that he's going barefoot most of the time they have started to actually develop arches. So from personal experience, barefooting definitely helps develop arches :thumb Dh also wore shoes almost all the time as a child. I never wore shoes. He has flat feet and I have lovely arches. Might be partly hereditary, but probably has something to do with how much we wore shoes as children.

Dh also has never been able to run because of his flat feet, but he can run barefoot :wink

love and peace. :love

[mother nurture]

No experiences w/ flat feet-so, I am no help!!

Hope you mamas are having a good one.

Peace

[spiderdust]

Anyone have any opinions on Chaco sandals for those times when you can't get away without shoes?

[Past_VNE]

I thought Chacos were way too heavy and more formed and stiffer than any of the other all terrain sandals I've tried. I did not like them at all, despite their following. I figure the people who love them aren't used to flexible, lightweight and 'low-support' shoes and don't know what they're missing.

[trmpetplaya]

I've never even heard of Chacos.... but as far as not being able to get away with going barefoot, I've found that most places don't care. We went out to pizza the other night barefoot and nobody said one word. I was nursing my almost 8 month old while we were both barefoot in the pizza parlour :thumb Not a word was said to us though...

The local grocery store is fine with us being barefoot too. I think it helps that dh also goes barefoot. Since there are two of us, maybe people don't think it's as odd :shrug Dd is always barefoot too, but most of the time her feet are hidden in the sling.

I really like the nomadic sandals! I wore them once because I was late and in a hurry to get to the piano lessons I teach (I walk to my students' house) and then I was walking to the rummage sale I helped out at afterwards and the road is this terrible rough pavement so I have to go slow barefoot and needed to get there by lunch time so I was in a hurry again. I could still feel the pavement somewhat through the sandals so it was like halfway between barefoot and shoes. Very cool! They are so incredibly lightweight too!

My record is now 6 days without sandals. I only broke my (first) 4 day streak by wearing sandals for 10 minutes and then my (second) 4 day streak by wearing sandals for about 30 minutes and then my 6 day streak I broke because of being late for piano lessons so that was for about an hour. One hour and forty minutes of shoe-wearing in 2 weeks. Not bad! My feet feel great!

love and peace. :love

[itsang]

My record is now 6 days without sandals. I only broke my (first) 4 day streak by wearing sandals for 10 minutes and then my (second) 4 day streak by wearing sandals for about 30 minutes and then my 6 day streak I broke because of being late for piano lessons so that was for about an hour. One hour and forty minutes of shoe-wearing in 2 weeks. Not bad!

6 days? you go, trmpetplaya!!:thumb :D :thumb

[paxye]

. Might be partly hereditary, but probably has something to do with how much we wore shoes as children.

I never wore shoes as a child either... I hated them and would even sneak out without shoes in the winter... but of course when we mved to Montreal my mom wouldn't let me go barefoot as much because it was the "big City"...

I am also on a great streak of being barefoot... I haven't worn my sandals since the thursday before last... I have gotten a few comments but more questions... and it feels SO good!!

[trmpetplaya]

I am also on a great streak of being barefoot... I haven't worn my sandals since the thursday before last... I have gotten a few comments but more questions... and it feels SO good!!

Doesn't it feel wonderful??? Dh and I walked through the 3rd of July streetfair barefoot just a little while ago and it was amazing that we were the only ones. We got some stares and no comments. We ended up going to the grocery store and coming back home by way of a shortcut over a gravel parking lot (to avoid the crowds, we'll see enough crowds tomorrow) and it was no big deal :thumb It was the really nasty sharp gravel too, but it didn't bother us.

I think that most people don't even think twice about wearing shoes. It's just what people do and everyone assumes there's a good reason for it (even though there really aren't many reasons to...). I love walking all over town barefoot because then maybe I'm helping at least one person think about the social norm and question whether shoes really are necessary. Maybe if they question this, then they'll question other social norms they might otherwise take for granted :wink

love and peace. :love

[Lexi_029]

I am always barefoot too. I have an extra large purse to carry a pair of flip-flops in just in case I get yelled at to put my shoes on in a store but otherwise I'm barefoot.

[spiderdust]

The not being able to get away with being barefoot today had more to do with hot pavement than store regulations. I burned my wee feet walking back to the car!

[mother nurture]

The not being able to get away with being barefoot today had more to do with hot pavement than store regulations. I burned my wee feet walking back to the car!

ouch mama:crap !! Even w/ all my years of going barefoot almost everywhere I did this the other day:( I was walking from my car to the beach and the asphault was SO HOT! I burned my feet and actually had some blisters on them. As much as I :love being barefoot, I had to wear some sandals on the way back to the car (sweet dh went back and got me some). I was, however, able to walk barefoot even on the blisters:thumb

Last night we went to a festival in a small fishing town. There was an awesome band playing there. Dd and I danced the night away in our barefeet!

[trmpetplaya]

The 4th of July parade and booths and such were great! I saw a lady that I know and one of her little girls was barefoot. I told her daughter that I liked her shoes and her little sister asked to take her shoes off too :thumb So there were five of us (dh, dd, me, and the two girls) barefoot, listening to the community band! Good times :)

Dh cut his toe this morning. Of course he was wearing sandals and riding his bike... so it wasn't barefoot, but maybe shoes are useful for biking :shrug Do any of you bike in sandals? The only pair of shoes I own is a pair of clogs that wouldn't be good for biking... I don't know if I would be comfortable enough to bike barefoot or if it's safe. Something to look into?

love and peace. :love

[noordinaryspider]

The only time I wear shoes any more is when I'm on the bike. My dd rides in her $1.99 flip-flops. She owns several other pairs of shoes, but she doesn't wear them.

I burned my feet quite badly about a week or two ago and had HUGE blisters on the soles. I was completely stranded until dd came home from school and I could use the bike because I couldn't walk anywhere.

My soles healed up amazingly quickly, though; I think it was within two days, three at the most. I still had blisters between my toes and in the other places that the shoes caused before I began going barefoot outside in public.

[mother nurture]

I burned my feet quite badly about a week or two ago and had HUGE blisters on the soles. I was completely stranded until dd came home from school and I could use the bike because I couldn't walk anywhere.

My soles healed up amazingly quickly, though; I think it was within two days, three at the most. I still had blisters between my toes and in the other places that the shoes caused before I began going barefoot outside in public.

Wow mama. That sounds quite painful. I'm glad that you also healed well.

The 4th was wonderful! We just went over to another family we are friendly w/'s house. Me and dd went barefoot and dh wore some hemp sandals. But, they came off as soon as we got inside. This family is barefoot most of the time, especially the girls. The one is my student and she is always running around barefoot at school. We had music on and all the girls were dancing around barefoot all night. The best, though was when their youngest dd (my student who is 4) was dancing around the yard w/ sparklers barefoot. We got lots of pics.

Growing up w/ a summer beach home I actually biked barefoot a lot. I did occasionally wear sandals. Those rides, though, were more leisure rides and not very FAST exercise rides.

On a similar subject...I try to go walking and running 3 times a week. For this I wear sneakers:irked: However, I do the feel of running barefoot. I went to visit some family a couple months ago and forgot my sneaks and ran barefoot, unfortunately it was on the sidewalk, like here, and it is difficult to try to maneuver around all the glass, rocks, etc.

[cfiddlinmama]

trmpetplaya - I swear you read my mind!! How do you do it? I was coming on here today to ask about my kids biking and there you are, asking the same question! I have always had the rule that they have to wear shoes biking for safety sake. I got to thinking about it the other day (I'm quite brilliant you know!) and I thought that they should probably wear closed toe shoes, cause sandals don't exactly provide protection. I was watching my dd1 ride in her flipflops and I thought that maybe it was a bit hypocritical of me to insist on shoes, but allow flipflops? :o Help! Somebody help me sort out my safety dilemma! I haven't worn shoes for several days now. Went to our 4th party barefoot and actually got my brother to take his off too! (Of course my kids were barefoot!) I have gotten more are you pg questions since I started going barefoot full time. :p I guess the only way it's justifiable for some one to be barefoot all the time is if they are prg. :dizzy: :duck: :lol

[Ravin]

I've been more comfortable barefoot ever since my pregnancy. Even before that, I would go barefoot when I could.

I find myself in shoes far more than I used to, because my main transportation is the bus (shoes required) and bicycle (closed toe shoes for safety). I wear sandals (my current pair are Ghillies, sandals with a closed toe) from Nativearth Shoes. http://www.nativearth.com
The recycled conveyor belt soles are VERY flexible and let the foot move more like barefoot. DD is still in robeez-type shoes, though we tried Preschoolians last summer (HOT pavement). Hot desert city pavement and transportation issues are the main reason we bother with shoes at all.

[trmpetplaya]

Ravin - You should talk to the management of the bus system. Most buses allow it, but they don't want it to be common knowledge. Sometimes it just depends on the bus driver. If they know that you do it often and take complete responsibility for any injuries due to being barefoot then they'll usually allow it. You can always sign and turn in a waiver if they insist :thumb

Cfiddlinmama - Dh actually got hurt pretty badly on the 4th because he was biking in flip-flops. He sliced his big toe open and most people would have gone to the hospital and gotten stitches. He just washed it and taped it up really well and now it's completely healed, but he had to wear sandals for a little while at the 4th festivities and that made his back hurt. So flip-flops really aren't great to be biking in... Maybe he would have been more careful had he not been wearing any footwear at all.

I find that I'm more aware of my feet if they aren't "protected" at all rather than partially. In thin flip flops one could still get cut on glass or have something fall on the foot, but because of the illusion of being protected one probably wouldn't be paying much attention to those hazards whereas with bare feet it's easier to remember that it's important to be more aware.

love and peace. :love

[trmpetplaya]

:bump:

I hate not having the search feature :(

love and peace. :love

[mother nurture]

I find that I'm more aware of my feet if they aren't "protected" at all rather than partially. In thin flip flops one could still get cut on glass or have something fall on the foot, but because of the illusion of being protected one probably wouldn't be paying much attention to those hazards whereas with bare feet it's easier to remember that it's important to be more aware.

love and peace. :love

I am so much more aware when i am barefoot. I find myself present during my walking, actually enjoying and feeling each step and such. When I have on shoes-it's like I am just "running blindly".

I have found that being barefoot is coming a lot easier in public places. I usually get thrown out:lol But, with the warm summer months I've been wearing a lot of long breezy skirts. Being only 5'1" (on a good day), my barefeet are usually covered, so management or whoever else, doesn't seem them.:thumb

Peace and blessings

[trmpetplaya]

I am so much more aware when i am barefoot. I find myself present during my walking, actually enjoying and feeling each step and such. When I have on shoes-it's like I am just "running blindly".

I have found that being barefoot is coming a lot easier in public places. I usually get thrown out:lol But, with the warm summer months I've been wearing a lot of long breezy skirts. Being only 5'1" (on a good day), my barefeet are usually covered, so management or whoever else, doesn't seem them.:thumb

Peace and blessings

I always wear long skirts so maybe that's why I've not gotten many comments... I hadn't thought about that. Dh goes barefoot wearing shorts and has heard more from people about his bare feet. Thankfully our grocery store is barefoot friendly :thumb

On Friday, dh stepped out of our house and onto a piece of broken pottery with his heel :crap We have no idea how it got there... he even swept out front the other day. :shrug He bled a TON, but it was just a tiny little cut. He's fine now, but it was pretty scary at the time. So he's been wearing sandals the last couple days.

I got my new senior title!!! I'm so excited that I was able to think of one finally. It only took me 400+ posts to think of one :rolleyes

love and peace. :love

[mother nurture]

I got my new senior title!!! I'm so excited that I was able to think of one finally. It only took me 400+ posts to think of one :rolleyes

love and peace. :love

I love it mama:thumb

Sorry about your dh. It seems like he has had some barefooting accidents recently:( I'm glad that he is healing.

peace~

[Past_VNE]

DS ripped a good piece of flesh of the tip of his little toe the other day. We were just walking around a small touristy town and his tripped and hit his head, HARD! We didn't realize his toe was hurt until we got home and saw the dried blood. The chunk of skin was dead. We cleaned him up, put a bandage on it and put some See Kai Run sandals on him for a few hours to keep the bandage on. Poor little guy points it out to me several times per day now. :(

[Past_VNE]

I also wanted to mention that I get much lessle hassle from folks when I'm in long skirts. Yay! for long skirts!!

[cfiddlinmama]

Well, I went for 2 weeks straight with no shoes. We went out to eat with an older couple who are really good friends of ours so I put on a pair of flipflops cause I didn't want to cause a scene. I did take them off in the car and at the table so it was just walking in and out of the restaurant!!

Then Sunday at Church, I was passed a note from the Sisters saying they saw that I didn't have any shoes on and that it would be more appropriate (?) if I had them on and if I had any I should put them on. Well, I did have a pair in the car so I couldn't honestly say I didn't have any so I put them on. My feet were so unhappy. :( And the shoes came off immediately after!

We have a dress code at our church which is cool with me, but it doesn't say a thing about shoes. I don't see what the stretch is from barefeet to tiny flip flops is. Several religions remove their shoes in holy places. Peasants would have worn barefeet to church since they didn't wear shoes in the summer. I'm a peasant!

Discalced (I know I didn't spell it right) means without shoes. There are several religious orders of nuns and priests that are discalced. So there are Discalced Carmelites, Discalced Franscicans etc. My dear friend and fellow shoe hater said to tell people I was doing it for religious reasons: I'm a Discalced Momalite! :)

Seriously though, I'm going to have to talk to the Sisters and find out what the problem is.... My dad hates it, but that's a whole nutha story!

[cfiddlinmama]

Oh ya, trmpetplaya - Nice senior title!

[judybean]

trmpetplaya -- I *LOVE* your title!!! I *still* haven't thought of anything witty to put there :D

(maybe by the time I hit 5,000?)

[HennyPenny]

I'm am barefoot every single chance I get. if I have to wear shoes it's those silly rubber airwalk cheap things b/c I can't afford anything eco friendly.

in the winter I often wear slippers outl

I never understoo how anyone can stand boots. all that restriction around your ankle! YUCK! when I was young and thought i was a cool "punk" I weore Docs 24/7. and it drove me nuts! But I wore them at all times.

thinking back I seriously was trying hard. b/c I hated those shoes so much. the most uncomfortable thing i ever stepped in. haha funny!

[HennyPenny]

I totaly agree with you!!! no shoes in church should be a GOOD thing! Holy ground, right!?

silly how even church get caught up in dress codes!!!

I was just thinking this same thing. I always take my shoes off during our service... an put them on to walk out. people have noticed. but I bet if I walked around shoeless I would get comments. I would also GIVE comments! hahaha


Well, I went for 2 weeks straight with no shoes. We went out to eat with an older couple who are really good friends of ours so I put on a pair of flipflops cause I didn't want to cause a scene. I did take them off in the car and at the table so it was just walking in and out of the restaurant!!

Then Sunday at Church, I was passed a note from the Sisters saying they saw that I didn't have any shoes on and that it would be more appropriate (?) if I had them on and if I had any I should put them on. Well, I did have a pair in the car so I couldn't honestly say I didn't have any so I put them on. My feet were so unhappy. :( And the shoes came off immediately after!

We have a dress code at our church which is cool with me, but it doesn't say a thing about shoes. I don't see what the stretch is from barefeet to tiny flip flops is. Several religions remove their shoes in holy places. Peasants would have worn barefeet to church since they didn't wear shoes in the summer. I'm a peasant!

Discalced (I know I didn't spell it right) means without shoes. There are several religious orders of nuns and priests that are discalced. So there are Discalced Carmelites, Discalced Franscicans etc. My dear friend and fellow shoe hater said to tell people I was doing it for religious reasons: I'm a Discalced Momalite! :)

Seriously though, I'm going to have to talk to the Sisters and find out what the problem is.... My dad hates it, but that's a whole nutha story!

[HennyPenny]

I agree with you... I don't believe that they are trying to insult me... However, it does! I have a friend that I visit often and for religious reasons everyone must take their shoes off in the house, no houseshoes etc... even repair men etc are asked to take off their shoes...
That is what I would love in my house...

Hang a nice friendly sign strongly inviting them to take of their shoes and relax when in your home. hang it on your door! and put a shoe area/rack out to use. I did this =) it worked!!

and if people said they'd rather not then I figured they had a good personal reason and I let i go. their friendship is more important than my dislike of shoes haha

[mother nurture]

I totaly agree with you!!! no shoes in church should be a GOOD thing! Holy ground, right!?

silly how even church get caught up in dress codes!!!

I was just thinking this same thing. I always take my shoes off during our service... an put them on to walk out. people have noticed. but I bet if I walked around shoeless I would get comments. I would also GIVE comments! hahaha

I just wanted to add onto this. I recently found a wonderful church to worship at. I wore my nomadics, but too them off during the service. No one said anything, but then I wasn't walking around. I was thinking about this the other day and was curious if anyone knew any scripture re:barefooting.

[trmpetplaya]

I haven't yet gotten up the courage to go barefoot to church either... There's no dress code or anything and I think it should certainly be appropriate!!! Holy ground for sure :thumb I haven't worn "real" shoes to church in years though. Only sandals and such. Last Sunday one lady LOVED my Nomadic sandals (I got the natural JC ones) so I guess people notice feet in church...

Cfiddlinmama - that's awesome about going for 2 weeks! It's so liberating, isn't it? I can't believe how many years I wore shoes needlessly because I thought it was necessary in public :(

Thank you for the senior title compliments!!! I'm so happy to have one finally :happyt:

love and peace. :love

[judybean]

I admit to not going barefoot in public places -- until yesterday :)

I went to my favorite cofffee shop barefoot yesterday! I haven't worn shoes in.... two days now! And I'm *so* loving it!

(and I'm working to get some paypal to get the nomadic state JC sandals!! my all-time-favorite Borns finally bit the dust three days ago!)

[trmpetplaya]

I admit to not going barefoot in public places -- until yesterday :)

I went to my favorite cofffee shop barefoot yesterday! I haven't worn shoes in.... two days now! And I'm *so* loving it!

(and I'm working to get some paypal to get the nomadic state JC sandals!! my all-time-favorite Borns finally bit the dust three days ago!)

:thumb Yay!!! It's the most liberating feeling in the world to go barefoot in public! I seriously think that wearing shoes contributes to depression. I feel so happy when I'm barefoot and so sad when I have to put sandals on (though the JC's are awesome! Almost like going barefoot for sure).

love and peace. :love

[mother nurture]

I was at church today and dd and I were both barefoot. We were meeting w/ the pastor to discuss some Bible studies. He commented on us being barefoot and how wonderful he felt it was:thumb

I definitely feel so liberated and free while barefoot. My JCs were really stinky today:o I had left them in the car after going into a store in the rain, where they FORBID going barefoot:irked: had to put on some shoes to walk to the office or I would have ended up w/ some more blisters on my way across the asphault-it has been blistering HOT here. I got horrible blisters from the sandals. Just another reason why barefoot is so much better.:thumb

[poxybat]

:hi
i think its really odd when people wear shoes inside...
or when they force shoes onto thier children.
i dont even force clothing... im a closet nudist barefooter :shy

[HennyPenny]

as much as i love being barefoot... and I've always been that way, I still like the feeling of shoes sometimes. (well only *good* shoes... not like uncomfortable crappy things... or god forbid HEELS!!! EEEK!)

Like I went into the store yesterday barefoot and it was SO cold my feet hurt which made my back ache. the whole tme I wished I'd worn shoes.

so I guss I won't be starting any revolutions! haha I just wanna be barefeet when I wanna be barefoot. and that's pretty often. but.... shoes are useful. when I want them.

[trmpetplaya]

as much as i love being barefoot... and I've always been that way, I still like the feeling of shoes sometimes. (well only *good* shoes... not like uncomfortable crappy things... or god forbid HEELS!!! EEEK!)

Like I went into the store yesterday barefoot and it was SO cold my feet hurt which made my back ache. the whole tme I wished I'd worn shoes.

so I guss I won't be starting any revolutions! haha I just wanna be barefeet when I wanna be barefoot. and that's pretty often. but.... shoes are useful. when I want them.

Well... it's like anything else. It's definitely doable part-time :thumb I think that everyone should be free to wear shoes or not anywhere they want to! My thing is that many people who wear shoes regularly think that they can tell me that I should wear shoes even though it's perfectly healthy and legal not to... because apparently I'm not smart enough to make up my own mind about it :irked: I don't bother them about wearing shoes :wink

You rock, proxybat! We don't force clothing on our dd either :p (unless we go somewhere) We EC so she goes at least half naked all the time while at home!

love and peace. :love

[mother nurture]

:hi
i think its really odd when people wear shoes inside...
or when they force shoes onto thier children.
i dont even force clothing... im a closet nudist barefooter :shy

My dd loves to be nude. It doesn't bother me. I actually like some time nude myself. She has also liked to take off her pants and now panties. She recently learned how to pull some of her shirts off.

[poxybat]

You rock, proxybat! We don't force clothing on our dd either :p (unless we go somewhere) We EC so she goes at least half naked all the time while at home!

love and peace. :love
poxybat, actually :loveeyes: :lol
and we EC too! yay!

[trmpetplaya]

poxybat, actually :loveeyes: :lol
and we EC too! yay!

Well... I always warn people IRL that I'm terrible with names :wink

I think EC and barefooting go together in a different paradigm from normal kind of way... both diapers and shoes are perceived as being necessary and normal in modern society and yet they're both optional :thumb

love and peace. :love

[~MommaCarrie~]

Thats so funny theres actually a group of activists Id never of thought! Me and my kiddos are almost always barefoot but just because Im too lazy and dont mind the feel of grass between my toes. Unless were going to the store were barefoot - oh and in the winter frostbite wouldnt be fun.

[trmpetplaya]

Thats so funny theres actually a group of activists Id never of thought! Me and my kiddos are almost always barefoot but just because Im too lazy and dont mind the feel of grass between my toes. Unless were going to the store were barefoot - oh and in the winter frostbite wouldnt be fun.

Welcome to MDC and to the barefooter tribe!!!

love and peace. :love

[judybean]

In the mornings (except for this week, too many other things going on, though I'm *totally* missing the walk!) I go on a walk with a couple other moms. They're about as mainstream as they come, though they all breastfed for six months to a year.

For whatever reason I find it perfectly fine to mention the vax issue (in a totally calm, non-judgemental way because honestly these moms had never even thought to question it... at least they thought about questioning it... whether they did or not? well, that's their journey), I show off my pit and leg hair, I shout the wonders of baking soda and vinegar from the rooftops, I'll show off the most recent cloth diaper I sewed up, etc.... but gosh... the moment I begin talking about the joys of being barefoot .... and *gasp* keeping kids out of shoes for at least a year?!?

You would have thought I was walking naked down the street and nobody knew quite how to tell me.

Seriously. I thought it was the most bizarre thing. I guess I just figured barefootism would be a pretty lukewarm topic that would just be fun to talk about. But it was like I totally killed the conversation. I'm not sure if they thought I was judging that they had put hard-soled shoes on their older kids or what.....

At least I brought up soft-soled (leather) shoes. One mama was all about those.

(but don't get me started on the germs thing.... I figure there are far worse germs *living* in some people's shoes!)

[HennyPenny]

(but don't get me started on the germs thing.... I figure there are far worse germs *living* in some people's shoes!)

yeah totally I agree!! yucky swampy shoes.


the only thing that worries me is stepping on rusty things, or glass and what not. which is sadly not all that uncommon around here. but germs? i can wash those off!

[cfiddlinmama]

I really can't believe the violent reactions I get from people. Mainly from cloth dipes, being hairy, and going barefoot. I don't know if they somehow take it as a personal criticism. I usually am just trying to make interesting conversation. Ya know? Mostly they just chalk it up to being a crazy hippie. Oh ya, the no poo thing kills them too. Somehow that just solidifies it in their minds that I'm dirty. I can just hear them "I mean, she doesn't shave or use shampoo, how gross. Look at her feet with callouses. How unfeminine. She's trying to save the world one diaper at a time. Doesn't she know it's a hopeless cause? Let's just pollute and not think about it." :lol I'm starting to get lots of comments about my 13mo old dd not wearing shoes. I tell them about feet development & they just look at me like I'm crazy. I did just get her some soft leather shoes for when she starts walking. But other than slippers in the winter, she's never worn shoes. :)


judybean - OT but I'd love to talk to you sometime about your experiences as a NFL Trad. especially regarding gentle discipline k? Maybe the Quiverfull tribe would be better? :wink

[Tonia80]

Been branching out with the bare feet lately. Guess it just never dawned on me I COULD. Been trained to wear shoes everywhere, KWIM? I love the cool tile in the stores on my bare feet. Best is still the damp grass after the rain though.
Question for you all...what do you wear on your feet in the winter?

[poxybat]

Well... I always warn people IRL that I'm terrible with names :wink
I think EC and barefooting go together in a different paradigm from normal kind of way... both diapers and shoes are perceived as being necessary and normal in modern society and yet they're both optional :thumb

yes! so so true!
and im horrible at even remembering people... :o



the only thing that worries me is stepping on rusty things, or glass and what not. which is sadly not all that uncommon around here. but germs? i can wash those off!
when i was little i got a rusty old roofing nail through my foot while i was wearing shoes... man that sucked.

[trmpetplaya]

Been branching out with the bare feet lately. Guess it just never dawned on me I COULD. Been trained to wear shoes everywhere, KWIM? I love the cool tile in the stores on my bare feet. Best is still the damp grass after the rain though.
Question for you all...what do you wear on your feet in the winter?

Yay! I think it's really the pervasive idea that shoes are necessary that encourages people to comment about bare feet and prevents most people from even thinking about not wearing shoes (especially in public). I had to read about it online and find out that it was legal and safe and that I wasn't the only one before I tried doing it in public (as an adult) also. I wonder WHY it's so pervasive :shrug Maybe because you can't really sell shoes to people who don't wear them... capitalism, ya' gotta love it :rolleyes

I don't know what I'll wear on my feet in the winter (if there is a winter for much longer... I just watched Al Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth" - don't like HIM, but the movie was good - about global warming and &*($^#$&*!!!!! I kinda wish I didn't know about it... with knowledge comes responsibility...) because I just started the whole barefooting thing. I guess I'll wait and see. I have sandals and it never snows around here anymore so... I know there are people who hike barefoot in the snow though so it CAN be done.

There are some studies showing that getting wounded on the feet while wearing shoes is much more dangerous than while barefoot. I should look them up again... Shoes serve as perfect incubators for all kids of bacteria and fungi. In fact... the story about getting athlete's foot in the locker room/public showers is only true if you go barefoot into the locker room and then put shoes on afterwards because athlete's foot doesn't grow easily or at all on unshod feet.

I know a few barefooters who can put a piece of curved glass, pointy side up, on the ground and crush it beneath their heal without getting cut. So I guess glass stops being an issue after going barefoot long enough :wink

love and peace. :love

[mother nurture]

Hey, mamas! Long time. I am so glad that the server is up and I have a moment to get on here:thumb

judybean-I can't believe those mamas freaked out so much about barefooting.:irked: Seems strange. It amazes me how many people think barefooting is so crazy.

During the winter it doesn't get too cold here. And almost never snows, so I usually can get away w/ barefoot for quite a while. However, I do have some pairs of soft soled sock shoes that I usually wear out and about. I picked them up at a hippie shop in town, but I think they sell some on gypsy rose's site. If I feel that the weather is just too much for barefeet or soft shoes I wear a pair of comfy old knock off vegan birk clogs. They are really comfy, too.

On the subject of nakedness...dd, as I mentioned spends quite a bit of time nude. We were visiting my parents over the last few days and my dad kept telling dd that she needed to put some clothes on. She cried and then when she took a shower she was so embarassed to be nude:(

[JoyJoy1975]

Wow never knew their was a name for it. I went barefoot as a kid we only had flip flops for summer time outings and shoes for church. My kids have tons of shoes they only wear when were going somewhere. SAHM so my kids are home a lot and barefoot a lot. My DH makes them wear shoes to go outside but the thing is he doesn't know is mom never does so they go barefoot a lot. Me I am barefoot right now just looked all the kids are too. Were all barefoot about 90percent of our day and the other 10 is if were going somewhere which some days we just don't go anywere. Mostly the weekends we are out and about.

[poxybat]

I know a few barefooters who can put a piece of curved glass, pointy side up, on the ground and crush it beneath their heal without getting cut. So I guess glass stops being an issue after going barefoot long enough

i used to be able to do this as a child. i used to freak out the shoe wearing children in the neighborhood when i jumped off a 4 foot ledge onto broken glass bwahaha...
and i spent summers barefoot in the middle of the desert in arizona. my mom used to call me asbestos feet.

cant do it anymore though...

[trmpetplaya]

i used to be able to do this as a child. i used to freak out the shoe wearing children in the neighborhood when i jumped off a 4 foot ledge onto broken glass bwahaha...

:laugh:

That's awesome!!!

love and peace. :love

[mother nurture]

i used to be able to do this as a child. i used to freak out the shoe wearing children in the neighborhood when i jumped off a 4 foot ledge onto broken glass bwahaha...
and i spent summers barefoot in the middle of the desert in arizona. my mom used to call me asbestos feet.

cant do it anymore though...

Wow mama! Stunts like that...did you make a few bucks?:wink

My feet seemed much stronger when I was younger. They are still pretty strong when it comes to cuts and sharp objects (just sensitive to the hot asphalt). I can walk through the dunes at the beach and if I get a sandspur in my foot it doesn't hurt, but broken glass.....

[queenofhercastle]

Fellow barefooter checking in here!

I'm glad I found this thread! I'm barefoot the majority of the day unless I have to go somewhere. My kids run around barefoot too. It never crosses my mind to put on shoes when I'm at home. Even when I go out to back yard. And I've been like that since I was a kid. I've never liked wearing shoes.

The shoe thing was also why I never could get into the Flylady system. Wearing shoes around the house just doesn't make any sense to me. I even kick them off when I go to the park with the kids.

Nice to see there are so many others like me!

[arlecchina]

oh my god, thankyou for this thread
I hate shoes :D always have.

[trmpetplaya]

Welcome, queen, arlecchina, and joy! Always good to see new barefooters :thumb

love and peace. :love

[Snowdrift]

I know a few barefooters who can put a piece of curved glass, pointy side up, on the ground and crush it beneath their heal without getting cut. So I guess glass stops being an issue after going barefoot long enough :wink


Enjoying the "new posts" restoration and stumbled across this tribe. I'm only moderately hard-core on the bare-feetness, but I read this and remembered a passage from Thor Heyerdahl's book on Easter Island.

Easter Island is made of sharp volcanic rock that the residents walked barefoot on with impunity. All the westerner's shoes quickly got sliced up on the rocks. The missionaires gave shoes to the children--who quicklyl returned to their barefooted-ness when the shoes got sliced up on the rocks. The shoes couldn't handle it, but their feet were fine.

[cfiddlinmama]

That'a an awesome story tie-dyed! Welcome! It's so freeing to be barefoot!

[noordinaryspider]

I forget whether I mentioned this before, but I found this thread and all of Trmpetplaya's links to the Society for Barefoot Living right about the time my Doc Martins wore out and I was very worried about not being able to afford comfortable walking shoes. I now have a pair of Dollar Tree flip-flops which live in my left hand (I put them on when going into stores sometimes) and a pair of el cheapos that are suitable for bicycle riding but not walking. I had one incident when my feet were first toughening up where I accidentally blistered my soles on hot pavement, but I was fine a few days later, much more quickly than when I tried to walk in my bicycle shoes.

I've walked barefoot across town several times since and am perfectly happy with this situation. It doesn't snow here very often so we'll see how I manage over the winter.

My dd is a homeschool graduate who very much wants to go to college; a replacement for the Doc Martins would probably have cost at least as much as tuition for a three unit class at our local community college.

I'm so happy to have realized that shoes are just one more stupid expense I can do just fine without once I think for myself instead of conforming. I was known as "The Barefoot Girl" as a child and have never worn shoes in my house or yard, but am brand new to barefooting in public.

[MamaFranklin]

mmmm barefoot! I lived the first 27 years of my life without shoes... Now I moved from the beach, to the mountains where we have snow on the ground 8-10 months out of the year... The snow and the floor is now SOOOO cold!

[trmpetplaya]

MDC ate my post :( I don't remember all that I said... maybe it wasn't that important :p

I wanted to welcome the new mamas to the tribe!

Easter Island is made of sharp volcanic rock that the residents walked barefoot on with impunity. All the westerner's shoes quickly got sliced up on the rocks. The missionaires gave shoes to the children--who quicklyl returned to their barefooted-ness when the shoes got sliced up on the rocks. The shoes couldn't handle it, but their feet were fine.

I love this so much :thumb Thank you for sharing it!!!

love and peace. :love

[mother nurture]

Checking in, mamas. Tomorrow we go to a wedding and I dreading wearing shoes:( I don't plan on wearing them once I sit down during the service and I expect to rip them off at the reception. I know that my feet will need a lot of breathing time after wearing dress shoes.

Peace~

[HennyPenny]

isn't it funny how dirty phobic people are? seriously? I think people would vacuum the dirt outta their lawn if they could figure out how! LOL

[judybean]

isn't it funny how dirty phobic people are? seriously? I think people would vacuum the dirt outta their lawn if they could figure out how! LOL

I don't doubt it one bit!!!!!! I, uh, maybe go to the other extreme on that :bag: (I'm certainly not a housekeeper! It's not filthy, but just nicely lived in ;) )

But on another note...

I'm so excited!! For whatever reason most things are way easier to speak about with strangers (even things such as lactivism, no-circ, no -- or at least informed -- vax, etc) than with family.... this even comes to barefooting it for me!!

But finally yesterday I was shopping with my mom and looking at some shoes for the girls (black mary janes for the winter months actually) and I finally did it. I found a pair of shoes made for wee little toesies and the soles were SOLID AS A ROCK. I couldnt' even bend them if I tried. (they were heavy too! ugh!)

So I made some comment to my mom about how terrible those shoes were since they didn't let little feet move like they were supposed to, etc..... and she totally agreed! I mean, obviously she couldn't *not* agree ;) .... but still! Then she picked up some of those shoes that are marketed for babies that have the total ankle support and commented on how terrible those were as well!!

That got me on a roll and I got to chattering about how much better feet do when not confined by shoes, how arches can improve, how many fewer ankle injuries there are, and even how I'm more worried about what's in people's shoes than what's on the ground we walk on ;)

She might have thought I was a bit silly (and by silly, I mean that I just got to talking and wouldn't be quiet ;) ) but nodded and said it all made sense :)

I'm all about barefoot activism lately -- *especially* trying to protect the littlest of feet!! Poor babies with their feet all jammed into ill-fitting (and totally stiff) shoes! We'll liberate them two by two :lol

[trmpetplaya]

I'm all about barefoot activism lately -- *especially* trying to protect the littlest of feet!! Poor babies with their feet all jammed into ill-fitting (and totally stiff) shoes! We'll liberate them two by two :lol

Totally!!! There's a grandmother in my church who was commenting on how far ahead dd is compared to her granddaughter as far as moving about (her granddaughter is a little chunk and dd is a pretty lean baby so that might have something to do with it - and dd is ridiculously ahead anyhow :dizzy: ) and mentioned that she thought it might partially be because her daughter doesn't put shoes on her granddaughter. I took the opportunity to point out that my dd doesn't wear shoes either and that it's much healthier to be barefoot, especially for the first five years :thumb She completely changed her mind after about 10 minutes and laughed and said that her daughter is going to wonder how on earth she was convinced (the grandmother has been after her daughter about the shoes on the baby thing for the past 8 months :lol). I told her that her daughter knows what she is doing! I'm so happy that her daughter will be getting support from her mom now :D

love and peace. :love

[mother nurture]

Barefoot activism- There is nothing better than educating people about the benefits of barefooting. Good for you mamas:thumb

I have to say that the biggest issue I find while talking w/ others and educating them about barefooting is the fear of germs and dirtiness while in public. I would love some links if any of you have some regarding this. I haven't looked, but figured maybe some of you had some links before I searched the web.

The wedding was great and I ended up spending much time barefoot:thumb
It is also very refreshing that each Sunday I worship the Lord in my barefeet.
This week the children led the celebration and danced around barefoot. It was awesome:thumb I also love the fact that when I take dd to the nursery, they don't have an issue w/ her barefeet.

Lots of peace~

[trmpetplaya]

I have to say that the biggest issue I find while talking w/ others and educating them about barefooting is the fear of germs and dirtiness while in public. I would love some links if any of you have some regarding this. I haven't looked, but figured maybe some of you had some links before I searched the web.


This article was posted on the SBL list a little while back:

http://www.livescience.com/othernews/060616_clean_rats.html

It's not directly about barefooting, but it's relevant :thumb

Here we go, just lay these facts on those people who are scared of being dirty and germy and yet still wear dirty germy shoes all day long :wink It's from the barefoot children's site so it's about kids, but it's true about adult feet too!

http://www.unshod.org/pfbc/swc7.htm

Accumulated sweat is accumulated waste which decays on feet which are covered. The child who wears shoes all day would need to bathe and change his socks twice a day, in order to keep his feet fresh. The barefooted child whose feet are soiled with dirt from lawns or floors of the house, would in this sense have cleaner feet than a child who has worn a shoe and stocking all day.

Decaying sweat sounds a lot dirtier and germier than plain old dirt. There are a bunch of links at the barefooters.org site about other concerns like athelete's foot (which can't survive on bare feet).

love and peace. :love

[mother nurture]

:thumb Thanks mama.

[Past_VNE]

:lol I found more 'shoes for barefooters' at a hiking store in Prescott, AZ. They actually look really neat for when you want some protection.

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

[GoodWillHunter]

I'm always barefoot! So are my kids and my dh... my home is a shoe free environment, lol. I usually wear birks if i have to.

[oneKnight]

i hate wearing shoes, too & have always been that way! i get so much grief about how unhygenic & gross i am because i choose to go barefoot.:irked: i wear my birks when shoes are required.

I get that too, I always point out how my feet don't touch anything worse than my hands do at WalMart everyday....and I'm not likely to eat anything using my feet.

[gentle_mama04]

I am also a barefooter. I carry a pair of flip flops with me to go into stores that require shoes. My home is also a shoe free environment. I was wondering if any of you had some advice. My dh has to wear shoes to work. They have to be full toed casual dress shoes. Is there any type he can get that aren't as bad for his feet?

[DLsGroovyMoM]

oh boy just my kinda tribe! As an infant/toddler I had to wear these God awful VERY hard soled shoes and braces waist to feet. I hated them. I have never liked wearin' shoes and spend the majority of my time barefoot.

I am however very cold natured so in the winter I wear a pair of slip on tennis shoes for goin out, but most of the time all I have on are socks. In the summer it's nothing or berks. I never wear shoes at home, I always take my shoes off at Church, in therapy, at freinds/realitives houses, I take off any shoes I may be wearin' to drive, I wear my berks to work (3rd shift private duty nurse) year round and take them off the minute I get my patient all setteled in for the night...shoes hurt my already painful feet and make me feel so confined. Yay! for bearfeet!

[oneKnight]

One day when I was walking across campus barefooted enjoying how my feet felt on the warm (not hot) pavement and even the texture of the concrete, this teacher pranced by in AWEFUL-looking tiny-toed high-heels and I was just SO glad that my feet weren't suffering by being stuffed up in those torture chambers!!!
(My math teacher asked me if I was gonna be walkin around barefooted when there was snow on the ground - coz I always came to her class and office with bare feet!)

Anyway, except when I'm at work I'm always barefooted, I keep a pair of tiny flip flops in my truck for places where they refuse to let me in without shoes - which is stoooopid, but who cares.

[KeanusMomma]

Ds has not worn shoes all summer...for the most part. I think I put some one him to go for a walk once or twice (hot pavement and some loose gravel), and maybe his daddy or grandparents will put shoes on him...other than that, he doesn't even wear shoes to the babysitter's. It's a lot easier for him, because if we walk into a store and people give us trouble, I can just throw him in the sling. Speaking of which, what do you do about public places and their "no shoes, no shirt, no service" policies? Wear shoes, avoid, or fight for your rights?

I was on vacation in California in June, and I hardly wore shoes AT ALL. It was wonderful. People just didn't care. No one told me to leave any grocery stores or restaurants, nothing. Back in MO it's a whole different story. :rolleyes

I agree with the flylady thing. I'm just now trying to get into it. I suppose I could just skip the shoe thing.

The other day I got in trouble for not wearing shoes. I took off my dressy sandals at my desk, leaving just my tights, and when I got up to walk like 10 feet, my boss told me I needed to wear shoes. She then sent a department-wide email reminding everyone that shoes are REQUIRED, and she had to remind 2 employees of that today. The other employee took off her athletic shoes while she was in the back, filing, where (almost) no one could see her.:irked:

[mccelticmom]

I just assumed everyone went barefooted except when going places....hum..I'm naive I guess. All my children fight me to put on shoes, they are all summer babies and as they got older and I put shoes on them just to go in public, it was a nightmare. So, I found those little soft shoes...

Anyway, I'm barefoot all the time...keep the shoes in the car just to put on as I go into a store or something...otherwise, bare! Love, love, love it! Got it from my mom...she lived in FL for quite some time and she said no one wears shoes there.

Birks and flip flops when necessary!

[poxybat]

shoes pffft...

[Autumn Breeze]

I guess you could count me in! I hate shoes. I am almost unconsiously taking my shoes off when I arrive wherever I am. I prefer to wear socks when I'm at other peoples homes, and often ask "Do you mind if I take my shoes off?"

And when we get home, I always tell ds "take off your shoes and put them in the basket."

My dd has never worn hardsoled shoes, nor does SHE own a pair. There are 3 or 4 pair that would fit her in the house, but she has yet to wear them, even in the yard. I put her isabooties on for that. And I wear flipflops outside.

In the winter I'm always wearing socks in the house (hardwood floors, and my feet get very cold.) or my slippers. I need to find dd a pair of soft soled boots....super cheap. They had a pair at Target that looked nice and warm, but I didn't want to spend $12.99.

Sometimes my dh confuses me about it. He will be barefoot all weekend, then go outside for 5 minutes (putting sandels on before he goes out) and then leave them on for another hour!!

[Greenie]

I think I belong here. I don't own socks. Period. All of the shoes that I have (save two pairs, sneakers and boots) are meant to be worn without socks, and I'm going to get a pair of Earth Shoes very soon.

I'll check out those links, though!

[CrunchyKat]

WOW! I never thought there would be a "tribe" for someone like me. I've always gotten flack my whole life for being barefoot all the time! I wear shoes whenever I leave the house, but to be honest, sometimes I would rather be barefoot! But I"m 100% always barefoot at home. I take off my shoes the minute I get in the door. Uggg and I HATE socks. I can't stand that feeling on my feet. What's even weirder than that to me? People who SLEEP in their socks?? Gives me the heeby jeebys.

Anyway, I do have a really nice pair of hiking boots, 2 pairs of Teva's, Earth sandles, and some 2 pairs of Earth Shoes. My dh has 2 pairs of Earth's too. He's a barefoot man too! And I rarely put shoes or socks on my daughter. Actually I even get people in the grocery store telling me to put socks or shoes on her feet. She hates them! She yanks her socks off, shoes off, and even hats! hehe I love it! :)

[trmpetplaya]

Yay!!!! More barefoot mamas! :w to everyone :thumb

Thus far dd has never worn shoes :wink She's just started walking recently and till today it was really warm. We have some soft-soled shoes, but until it gets pretty cold she won't be wearing them. We'll be carrying shoes with us when she starts walking so that I can flash them at people and let them know that we HAVE shoes for her, but she doesn't like to wear them (why would she ever like to wear them when she never has?). It's terrible trying to get her to wear PANTS, I'm sure I can do without trying to put shoes on her unless the weather/area we're walking in really justifies it.

love and peace. :love

[CrunchyKat]

I went barefoot today to 7-11...and it felt great! :)

:banana

[mother nurture]

Hello, New Barefooting Mamas! This is such a great tribe.

I have been absent from MDC the past few weeks. I am trying to get back into a schedule w/ dd and work. I am going through barefooting mourning:( My job requires me to wear shoes and it is so difficult. I have been wearing my Nomadic Sandals, which is as close as I'm going to get. Dd is also starting some sort of a shoe fetish. She won't keep them on for too long, but each day she insists on wearing boots in the 80 degree+ heat of the weather here.

So, with fall coming and winter around the corner...I know some of you mentioned wearing shoes in the cold. Just curious what everyone wears if anything. What is the closest to being barefoot in the cold months. Thanks and peace,

[oneKnight]

So, with fall coming and winter around the corner...I know some of you mentioned wearing shoes in the cold. Just curious what everyone wears if anything. What is the closest to being barefoot in the cold months. Thanks and peace,
I still run barefooted in the house, and outside for a while.
When I lived with my parents they had a wood stove and the house was always very cozy! But they also had a large concrete platform/driveway and I could stand on it barefooted in the cold. At first it feels almost like it burns but my feet just get numb from it.
Now, I wear Birkendstock sandals outside around the house in the winter, but to go out I usually wear hiking boots with wool socks.

ETA: When I was a swimmer, I wore flip-flops year-round and I discovered that if your feet are not touching the cold ground then they don't get very cold.

[Nature]

Got married in my barefeet, and hate to wear shoes. 'subbin! :thumb

[arwenevenstar]

Hello, New Barefooting Mamas! This is such a great tribe.

I have been absent from MDC the past few weeks. I am trying to get back into a schedule w/ dd and work. I am going through barefooting mourning:( My job requires me to wear shoes and it is so difficult. I have been wearing my Nomadic Sandals, which is as close as I'm going to get. Dd is also starting some sort of a shoe fetish. She won't keep them on for too long, but each day she insists on wearing boots in the 80 degree+ heat of the weather here.

So, with fall coming and winter around the corner...I know some of you mentioned wearing shoes in the cold. Just curious what everyone wears if anything. What is the closest to being barefoot in the cold months. Thanks and peace,

I had to laugh, you have described my dd to a T!!! She hates shoes and will do anything she can to dispose of them. She has fed two pairs to our dog, secretly "lost" a shoe whilst out shopping, so I have given up, after all, how can I expect her to wear them when I don't usually! That said, she will put on rubber wellingtons when it is 80 in the shade!!!! My ds's prefer flip flops if they have to wear something, but are also keen barefooters!

I don't think I truly belong in this tribe as I don't barefoot around town, only the house and outside here, but I am the last of my kind here to put my flip flops away and get out "winter" shoes!!:lol

[PrairieBohemian]

me! me! me! me!

Wow what a cool tribe. I belong to a barefoot runners yahoogroup too. Let me introduce myself briefly: I was always barefoot as a child as I grew up on a farm and about 1.5 yr ago became much more regular-life barefoot and a barefoot runner. My ds loves being barefoot too and takes off ANY footwear when we get anywhere where he wants to be agile.

I've been barefoot in Ukraine and Prague as well! I tried to make "fake" sandals but they still interfered with my naked pleasure.

Being barefoot helps keep me "in the now" as I subtly am always sensing the earth beneath my feet.

I look forward to chatting with other barefoot mamas!

[PrairieBohemian]

oh I forgot to ask (sorry if this has already been answered), but what are Nomadic Sandals?

[trmpetplaya]

oh I forgot to ask (sorry if this has already been answered), but what are Nomadic Sandals?

:w

There's a link in the first post. They're really comfy rope sandals that are better than shoes if one can't go barefoot :thumb

What's the barefoot running group called? Are you also in the SBL's yahoo group? There aren't many women members... either that or they don't post very often which is why I started this tribe here!

Dd is walking everywhere now and has yet to wear any sort of shoes - just socks and booties when she was a newborn. My mom's going to get her some Soft Star shoes next monthish. We have some Robeez to carry around for now in case anyone asks or if the weather/ground textures are harsh :wink When we were at a restaurant a couple weeks ago, one of the lady's who worked there asked if dd's feet were cold and I told her that the restaurant floor wasn't any colder than our kitchen floor. She then said that she never let her dc-ren walk around without wearing shoes and I just said, "well, it's hard enough to get clothes on her without trying to put shoes on her too. She just doesn't like them." (if trying to put socks on her is any indicator...).

It's starting to get chilly here, but not bad. We haven't had to wear any footwear yet and are going to try to go through the winter un-shod :loveeyes: We'll see how it goes! It almost never snows here (near Seattle) though, so it should work out just fine.

How are all your bare feet holding up with cooler weather coming around?

love and peace. :love

[trmpetplaya]

A great article in the NY Times about barefoot hiking -

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/22/travel/escapes/22hike.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Well worth reading :thumb

We went to an autumn equinox celebration last night and part of it was walking through the woods at dusk. The trails were an absolute joy to walk on barefoot. When I think what sensations I would have missed had I worn shoes :dizzy: It rained a couple days ago and the ground felt so nice. It wasn't squishy or hard. It was somewhere wonderful in between :heartbeat

We just found out yesterday that all the shoes (all soft-sole of course) we have for dd are too small for her (her feet are exceptionally large...). Oops. I guess she'll be un-shod for a bit longer :loveeyes: It's not cold here yet though so it's all good! I need to send my mom the info to get her some moccasins soon...

love and peace. :love

[PrairieBohemian]

:w
What's the barefoot running group called? Are you also in the SBL's yahoo group? There aren't many women members... either that or they don't post very often which is why I started this tribe here!

Here it is!

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/RunningBarefoot/

[PrairieBohemian]

We went to an autumn equinox celebration last night and part of it was walking through the woods at dusk. The trails were an absolute joy to walk on barefoot. When I think what sensations I would have missed had I worn shoes ...

oh wow...I love these words. This is so true.

My ds is also outgrowing his soft souls (currently Padraigs) and I don't know what to do for our frosty fall. I looked into See Kai Runs but they are $50CAN! YIKES! I made moccasins last winter and really hope they still fit. What options are there for zero to +5 celcius?

[zoebird]

according to the native american tradition of the southwest: for a woman to go around barefoot is to go around blindfolded!

[zoebird]

oh, and a link to moccasins for all ages that are soft soled and very affordable: http://www.tandyleather.com/products.asp?dept=353

[PrairieBohemian]

oh, and a link to moccasins for all ages that are soft soled and very affordable: http://www.tandyleather.com/products.asp?dept=353

Thanks, zoebird! Those ARE great prices and much cheaper than the stress of making them myself (fulfilling though it is)!

[asoulunbound]

I was always the kid in the neighbourhood without shoes- it never occured to me that being barefoot is a lifestyle choice or anything. I was homeschooled for much of my life, and my mom let me play outside in nice weather barefoot.
I drive barefoot and go outside barefoot. I'm almost always barefoot unless like shopping- you know, the no shirt/no shoes thing. I also don't like the feeling of wet stuff like saliva, etc. I'm more of a cement fan, or pack down dirt (as opposed to grass- I used to get tons of beestings on my feet when I was younger. Totally built up a hypervigilence when it comes to clover patches!)
When I wear shoes, it's my birks. I got them this summer, and have no idea what I did without them! I usually wore sandals. It's hard for me to wear flip-flops because it is not comfortable to have something btwn my toes.

[asoulunbound]

oh yeah, since I'm a knitter, I like to make socks. But I don't really like to wear them unless it's winter. Even then, I really just like to make them for others. Just thought that would be of interest to y'all.

[PrairieBohemian]

I'm more of a cement fan, or pack down dirt.

Oh I like the sticky hot tar they use to patch pavement!

[urchin_grey]

I always go bear-footed at home, I've never really thought about it though. And every pair of shoes I own are flip-flops.:p

[noordinaryspider]

It's getting chilly, but my feet are holding up fine. I still carry my flip flops for stores with "No shoes no shirt no service" signs and I don't really feel like challenging the food bank's policy of requiring volunteers to wear closed toed shoes BUT, I discovered last night that the pedals of my bicycle are just FINE for bare feet. I had one miserable barefoot ride on a borrowed bicycle and had been wearing my horrid closed toed plastic foot-suffocating shoes to ride in all summer.

I remember trmptplaya asking about barefoot bicycle riding a few pages back, but haven't really been keeping up with the tribe lately. It's just become more natural and normal for me and I'm really starting to enjoy the sensations.

Caging my feet for the winter really would feel like walking around blindfolded.

Since I am low-income and downwardly mobile, I anticipate having to deal with some class issues regarding barefooting in the next little bit. It helps that I OWN a nice pair of hand-me-down sandals now and I CHOOSE not to wear them.

[trmpetplaya]

I'm still barefooting strong through the chilliness too :thumb It's fun and my feet get really warm after walking a ways. We still have no shoes for dd, but nobody has yet commented about her bare feet and she still doesn't walk outside all that much except in our backyard where nobody can see her :p My mom's going to order her some Soft Stars soon. She's not even 11 months old, but is going to need the 2-3 year size... big feet run on both sides of the family (not my mom's side, but on my dad's side and I think on both sides of dh's family) so it's not too surprising. I wonder also if her feet are growing more quickly because they aren't cooped up in shoes :loveeyes: of course there's no way of telling that...

Man, I am so tired right now and dh won't be home for another hour and twenty minutes or so :( I miss him when he's gone... there's nobody to go barefoot walking with me when he's not here!

love and peace. :love

[Autumn Breeze]

We're all barefoot today. But I'm wanting some socks right now.

I'm about to order dd's 2nd pair of Isabooties for the winter, and a very good friend of mine is making another pair of soft shoes.

I wish I could find a pair for me :D Of course I really want a pair of Birkies :D

[DBZ]

I love to be barefoot too. I'm always barefoot at home and outside. When I go walking I am usually barefoot. My middle child kicks off her shoes as much as I do. In addition to dirt and grass, I love the feeling of a crosswalk under my feet. They are so smooth. Sneaker season is pretty much here and I hate it.

Kara

[Melaya]

:wave I'm a barefoot person. Grew up in a family that finds shoes unnecessary. We were always barefoot, even in New Mexico with all the cactuses. It's funny how strangers would always comment at us. Plus we got kicked out of many stores (still don't see how feet get any more dirty than shoes are). We had the blackest, toughest feet around. It's amazing how they get used to it and pretty soon you really almost never need shoes. I've been in WA for about a year now and have been wearing shoes more than I ever did before in my life. The other day I was barefoot in the yard and noticed that the pebbles were hurting my feet. I would have never noticed that before. WA is making me a wimp. :lol I miss my barefoot days. :)

[noordinaryspider]

I'm barefoot at work now too. I'm an IHSS caregiver. The first day after I realized didn't have to wear shoes on my bicycle, I was hoping I could get away with waiting a bit to put my flip-flops on and while I was repositioning my client, she said, "It's nice to see you're feeling so comfortable here now."

"Huh?"

"I see you're comfortable enough to take your shoes off. I'm glad."

It turns out that before the accident, she was a barefooter herself, even though she did wear shoes outdoors in public.

Wow, I never knew how many of us there were before I clicked on this thread.

I am so not looking forward to cleaning up all the dirt and mud my mother is going to track into my house on her street shoes when she visits for a week next Thanksgiving. I keep trying to think of tactful ways to ask her to remove them or even just to ask her to bring some slippers to wear in the house when she comes, but since she is so opposed to my barefooting I'm sure it would turn into a major power struggle if I even bring it up as an "I wish" or "I would prefer" or "would you mind doing me a favor".

< sigh >

Melaya, I've noticed the same thing about wimpy feet; when I first started walking barefoot around town, I burned some enormous blisters on my soles on the hot pavement just walking to the bank and back and couldn't get around without my bicycle for several days. Now it's no big deal to walk downtown and back even two or three times in the same day.

I always went barefoot as a child, so it surprised me how fragile the skin was at first but it was so worth it to build it back up again. I hope I can make it all the way through the winter, but I'll just have to see how things go.

Trmpetplaya, I have big feet too, so it's really hard to find shoes that fit at the thrift stores, but a friend did give me a reasonably comfortable pair of her dh's old sandals that he didn't want any more and I picked up a spare pair of flip flops in case these break before the stores start carrying them again.

[Melaya]

Trmpetplaya, I have big feet too, so it's really hard to find shoes that fit at the thrift stores, but a friend did give me a reasonably comfortable pair of her dh's old sandals that he didn't want any more and I picked up a spare pair of flip flops in case these break before the stores start carrying them again.

My shoe size is only 7.5, but they are very wide. My mil says that's because I never wore shoes as a kid (that just drives her bananas). Is it true that being bare foot makes your feet fat? Sorry if you guys covered that already at some point in the thread. :)

[Autumn Breeze]

Melaya, I wonder that too. The summers between 5th ant 6th grade I never once put a shoe on my foot. Then suddnly the morning of "meet and greet" NONE of my shoes fit! I'd gone up nearly 3 sizes!! My mother had to take me to the store before the meeting because there wasn't a single shoe in the house that fit my feet! Not even the flip flops were comfortable!


I also remember having very tough feet when I was living on Hilton Head (moved at 8 ) I could walk from the car to the beach over the rocks, oyster shells and other hard objects. I would find them painful now because I haven't truly barefooted outside in so long. When I returned back for a visit at 13, I couldn't take it! It hurt too much to walk all the way to the beach, I went back to the car for my sneakers.

[PrairieBohemian]

I just want to share by beautiful walk with ds today...

Its lightly raining but we decided to head out to the library anyway (only 3 long blocks). He stomped through leaves, smelled some flowers, pulled at some berries and just enjoyed the movement of his own body. He had asked for his shoes before we left but on the way home, he sat down on the wet sidewalk to take them off. He walked in his socks for a while then decided to go barefoot for the remainder of the walk. It was so beautiful watching him settle on being barefoot even though it is getting quite chilly in the autumn rain.

I had a very peaceful day and had one of those "I'm doing a pretty good job as a mama" feelings that was sustained. It is of primary importance that my kids be able to EXPLORE and EXPERIENCE their world fully. Obviously I get a lot of not-so-positive feedback from people that feel I am an irresponsible mother. BUt I don't care. Today I am so glad I am the type of person to let my child feel leaves and wet grass between his toes and not worry if he's going to get sick blah blah blah. I trust him enough to ASK for shoes if its too cold!!!

[friendtoall]

I don't go barefoot now as much as I used to. My children do most of the time, but they are also naked most of the time, too! :lol

Last summer, when I was pg, I figured out why we have the expression, bare foot and pregnant. I think it is because pg women's feet are so swollen in the summer they couldn't wear shoes if they wanted to!

[PrairieBohemian]

so do any of you get negative comments about your barefooted kids?

The other day we were crossing the street and someone looked down at ds' bare feet and said "oh, he doesn't have any shoes on." and I snapped back "neither do I!!!"

I really didn't mean to be so snarky but I had just finished an argument with dh about ds' shoelessness. He subscribes to the thinking of cold feet will get you sick. I was getting really ticked and 2 seconds later these people made the observation and I shot back. I don't know if they were being specifically critical but I've certainly received MY share of criticism!

Sorry people wherever you are--and to you who are truly critical, :angry