In the realm of parenting, few battles are as visually striking as the one over fashion choices, particularly when it comes to high heels. When my style-savvy daughter received a $40 gift card to DSW for her 13th birthday, I anticipated a showdown over the appropriate age for such footwear. Our ongoing debate over sky-high heels had been brewing for two years—she was all for them, while I was decidedly against.
Our trip to DSW for back-to-school sneakers began peacefully enough. She quickly selected a pair of Nikes, while my husband and son headed toward the checkout, blissfully unaware of the impending drama. A short search of the store led me to find her lounging in the clearance section, delicately fastening five-inch cork wedge sandals adorned with thick black straps and shiny gold buckles.
“Don’t say a word!” she grinned as she noticed me, her face glowing with delight. Rather than intervene, I observed her as she stood up and glided towards the mirror, where the preening commenced.
This wasn’t our first encounter with towering heels. Two years prior, my sister-in-law had gifted her a pair of striking black 6-inch peep-toe stilettos, which sparkled with the same excitement in my daughter’s eyes. My husband shot me a look of disbelief, which remained when I revealed I had approved the gift.
“OMG! I look incredible!” she exclaimed the following day, clicking across our hardwood floors in her new shoes. “I’m wearing these to dinner tonight!”
“No, you’re not,” my husband and I retorted in unison.
Her quick response was a challenge for us to justify. “Give me three good reasons why not!” she demanded. Our argument of “inappropriate” quickly devolved into discussions about broken ankles and negative impressions, even veering into discussions about “ladies of the night.”
Truthfully, I felt torn. While I didn’t want my daughter leaving the house in what I perceived as inappropriate footwear, I struggled to mount a solid argument against it. They were just shoes, after all. In the end, after my husband deferred to me on the decision, I allowed her to wear them. She ended up wearing those heels out twice—once to dinner and another time to a play in the city, receiving curious glances but mostly warmth from adults who admired her confidence, even as she admitted the shoes were a bit painful.
Fast forward two years to our DSW excursion. My husband asked, “Are you really going to let her buy those?” I chose silence, and he exited the store. Later, I explained my decision to him: witnessing her joy in front of that full-length mirror was priceless. She wasn’t just admiring her feet; she was envisioning her future self, full of possibilities.
I approved her choice because she has often expressed frustration about feeling too old for children’s activities yet too young for adult ones. Those cork wedges seemed to offer her hope of bridging that gap. Plus, the gift was from her birthday money, and it was essential for her to make her own decisions.
Admittedly, walking alongside my 13-year-old in five-inch platforms can be somewhat awkward. I often wonder what other parents think, if they judge me for allowing her to wear such striking shoes. Conversely, she knows the sandals might be seen as inappropriate, but she’s always taken pride in her individuality.
The best part? As I walk beside my suddenly 5-foot-10 daughter, we share a laugh when she reaches out for my shoulder to steady herself. I maintain a straight face while she playfully drapes her arm over me, and we both chuckle at the absurdity of it all. This understanding deepens our bond, a reminder that while the issue may seem significant, it is ultimately trivial.
In summary, I chose to let my daughter wear the heels because I saw the joy and confidence they instilled in her. It’s important for her to express herself and make choices, even if they come in the form of sky-high sandals.
For more insights on parenting and choices, check out this resource on pregnancy and home insemination. For those interested in more on self insemination, consider this article about home intracervical insemination kits, as well as this guide on couple’s fertility journeys.
Keyphrase: Allowing my daughter to wear heels
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