Barefoot child at Wal-Mart

[Alysser]

You should have submitted a picture:
http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/?page_id=9798

[beeniesmom]

Well, to keep shoes on my daughter is a constant fight, possibly the parents got tired of it and saw that particular day as a battle that wasn't worth fighting in that regard.

I have to agree with you. I am experiencing it with Laura. She is 13 months old now and walking. She CONSTANTLY takes her shoes off. Sometimes I take her to the store barefoot out of exasperation BUT carry her around. I'd never let her loose barefoot in a store or outside. It's gross that the kid was left to walk barefoot but I can understand why.

[GoldenLover]

I work at Walmart in security, and let me tell you, I've seen worse...
I've seen children in the dead of winter in t-shirts. The decent parents at least steal a coat for them, but many of them just wrap them in a blanket and go.

I've seen parents let their kids do all sorts of extremely unsafe things. My favorite is when they let their kid ride on the very bottom of the cart. They *always either get their fingers or their hair pinched in the cart wheels. And it's *always Walmart's fault when they file the accident claim.

I've seen parents help their kids to climb on the shelves. I've seen infants left in hot cars outside while their single momma shops. I also see a fair amount of kids that are used as disguises or aids to help the parents steal. Just wait till they grow up... I'll be waiting.

Worst of all is the parents who shouldn't be parents. There is this one 40-something couple in particular that comes in nearly every day to purchase food stamp items. They are heavy set, and are too lazy to walk (though they are *completely able, I've seen them do it) so they get TWO electric scooters, one for each of them. The little boy, who is probably 5, is SCREAMED at the entire time they're in the store. They start by letting him go to the restroom, and of course, they don't get up to go help him. Instead, they wait about a minute after he goes in, then open the main door to the restroom and scream at him to hurry up. Then while in the store, they scream at him for everything from touching things to not walking in a straight line. Poor kid can't do anything right according to them. The boy is not mis-behaved (believe me, some are and deserve the commands), and I truely feel sorry for him.

And it always seems to be worse around the 1st and 15th of the month... You can tell who has kids because they love kids and who has kids for the tax benefits. It's really sad...

[Medusa]

I wouldn't like to see a little kid going barefoot in a store or in a
store parking lot. Not a good idea at all, for all the reasons you've
already mentioned. As a parent it's our job to make decisions for our
kids. Barefoot at home is one thing, outside the safety of home, is
quite another.

What she said.

[Catlady711]

While I don't agree with it and it's against store policy, I don't think I'd be all that upset to see a child in a Wally's World barefoot.

Now the time I went to the Louisville Zoo was a different story. Saw a whole family barefoot! Now figuring that it was 95 degrees that day and sunny as all heck, that black top had to have been HOT!!! It's also a BIG zoo with lots of walking on that hard surface. Now that one did tick me off that not only did the parents allow all 3 children to go that way, but didn't have enough sense to put shoes on their own feet as well. And I don't go for the 'couldn't afford shoes' thing, you can buy a pair of cheap crappy flip flops for a couple bucks, less if you get them at a garage sale or something.

[pomtzu]

I don't think this thread's issue is about the kid being barefoot, but about the potential safety danger of going without shoes, and the potential of stepping on something that would cause injury. A piece of broken glass, a sliver of metal, a nail, a caustic liquid - any of these which could be in the parking lot, or even the store floor. It's only common sense on the part of the parents to protect their kids from any kind of injury that could be caused this way.
If they want to let their kids go barefoot, then make sure they're small enough to ride in the store cart, from the time they get out of the car until they get back in. Too big for the cart?? - then make sure the feet are protected! It's only a matter of common sense and has nothing at all to do with being immaculately groomed.

[Lady's Human]

The point about immaculately groomed was therefor a reason.

No, my kids aren't spotless 24/7.

Yes, there are times when we have to do things that aren't normal, like a late night run for meds when only one parent is home, in which case it's in the truck, as is, to the store.

I'm sure I've brought kids to the store in a condition of dress or cleanliness which would have, in some instances, made one of the immaculate pillars of parenthood irate enough to post here.

Points being, you don't know what happened, and, as several people throughout history have said, don't judge a person until you've walked a mile in their shoes.

Safety? The most dangerous place in any child's life? the kitchen and bathroom. Not Wal Mart, not K-Mart, not CVS or a parking lot, your own home. You have products in your house which would never be allowed in a workplace because of the hazards (try an MSDS for 409, for instance!)

(BTW, I can't count the number of store parking lots I walked through barefoot as a child. My mother must have been a terrible parent!)

[pomtzu]

Points being, you don't know what happened, and, as several people throughout history have said, don't judge a person until you've walked a mile in their shoes.

Ah yes!!! But I will have shoes on!

I was not looking for a confrontation, nor was I judging anyone for their dress - or lack of it. Yes - unusual circumstances do come up. But when I see children barefoot in stores with their caregivers, in the middle of the day, casually shopping, then I can't help but think there was no unusual circumstance involved.

And yes - I successfully raised 2 children to adulthood, in spite of all the household perils, and those away from the home too. Just part of responsible parenting, I guess.

[lizbud]

You should have submitted a picture:
http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/?page_id=9798

OMG, some of those are sooooo funny.

Makes you think twice about the Islamic rule of "covering up" doesn't it?

[Cataholic]

Like LH, I can't really see the horror of a child barefoot. When I think of the 'shoes' J has on most of the time- crocs, that rubber sole is absolutely no barrier for glass, metal, etc. I see opened toed flip flops (which kill me to wear), and I imagine any caustic liquid would be flapped up over them without any issue. I see water type shoes, moccasins, etc. No shoes? No big deal, to me.

What I also thought of when I read the OP was the children that have various disorders, which make shoe wearing, along with lots of other types of constrictive clothing, dern near impossible. Maybe the child had swollen feet, or had had on new shoes and there were blisters and wearing any shoe was not going to happen any more that day.

There are so many things that it could be other than lazy, inconsequential parents.

Though it doesn't happen now, at 6, I had taken J into the store in his jammies on more than one occasion. I will never forget the jammies with rain boots at HD, and running into a client! Know what the client said??? "Trust me, it isn't bad until it involves a mask". LOL, apparently as the father of two younger children himself, he had been there.

Much ado about nothing.

[cassiesmom]

I don't think this thread's issue is about the kid being barefoot, but about the potential safety danger of going without shoes, and the potential of stepping on something that would cause injury. A piece of broken glass, a sliver of metal, a nail, a caustic liquid - any of these which could be in the parking lot, or even the store floor.

Thank you, Pomtzu- you said it better than I could!

It's not that the child was barefoot, it's where (potential hazards to be stepped in/on both inside the store and in the parking lot). I guess you'd have to see the parking lot. Things out there no one should step on.

I've seen children in their PJ's there and at the supermarket - doesn't bother me.

Much ado about nothing.

I'm sorry I brought it up.

[Cataholic]

I'm sorry I brought it up.

No apologies necessary. I have a different opinion and I expressed it. Doesn't mean yours has no validity.

[lizbud]

Thank you, Pomtzu- you said it better than I could!

It's not that the child was barefoot, it's where (potential hazards to be stepped in/on both inside the store and in the parking lot). I guess you'd have to see the parking lot. Things out there no one should step on.

I've seen children in their PJ's there and at the supermarket - doesn't bother me.


I'm sorry I brought it up.

Don't be sorry, you were right all along. This isn't just an appearances
type of thing, it is a safety issue. If other parents don't see that, then so
be it.

[lvpets2002]

Oh I know when I was growing up = I hated shoes.. I went barefoot all of the time at Home.. Hey I thought most stores made you wear shoes (even for kids)..

[happylabs]

I do not think there is any excuse for this type of neglect. If there was a reason she could not wear shoes they should have made her ride in a cart. I would never ever have let either of my kids go barefoot in public, even at the beach we made them wear sandals until we got our towels and blankets set up.

Parents are just letting their kids run things these days. Bad parenting...