A Load of Croc

My family has a love-hate relationship with Crocs. My kids love them, and I hate them. I tend to be on board with this other girl named Kristen, who describes them as the bane of modern civilization.

I tried so hard to resist buying them for my kids. Friends were raving about their comfort , and all the kids at playgroup were wearing them. Jafta saw them in stores and begged and begged. Finally, I relented with India, because her feet were getting stinky in her Vans and sandals would not stay on her feet. I figured that she was so young that their lame factor didn’t count (i.e. you wouldn’t see an adult walking around in Robeez). Toddlers can get away with anything, I told myself. I bought her a pair and she LOVED them. In fact, she threw many a tantrum when I tried to take them off for her naps.

Well, you can imagine how that sat with Jafta. He was distraught for weeks. We would walk by the aisle of plastic shoes at Target and he would run up to them, yelling “please can we take these home? PLEASE?”

Okay, fine. I allow Jafta to try on a pair. I mean, it would be nice for him to be able to put on his own shoes in the morning. So we venture into that aisle at Target (cause ya’ll know I’m not gonna spent $24 on the real thing), and of course, there are none in his size. But Jafta grabs the first pair he sees (adult size 9) and walks around in them, proclaiming his love and devotion. I explain to them that there are no pairs in his size, to which he argues how the adult shoes fit him perfectly. I explain that mommy needs to go home and order them from the computer. He totally does not understand this concept, and throws a sizeable tantrum at Target. Imagine a 3-year-old screaming in the checkout aisle, “I miss my Crocs. Oh, my Crocs! I miss them so much!”

I ordered his pair online, and Jafta checked the mailbox every five minutes for a week until they came. And when they did come . . . you should have seen how overjoyed this child was to be reunited with the plastic wonders you wear on your feet. He has worn them every day since.

Which leads me to a very, very embarassing confession . . .

So before we left for Haiti, I ran to Whole Foods to get some herbal bug repellant (which led to the Mosquito Fiasco of 2008). And there at the end of the aisle were some Crocs hanging on the wall. Hmmm. I need some sensible shoes for walking around Haiti. Breathable AND with a closed toe? Anti-bacterial? And wow, they really are comfortable. Maybe just for the trip, I think.

So with more than a wee bit of shame, I bought myself a pair of Crocs. The real thing. I wore them the whole time I was in Haiti. They were lovely. They were so comfortable, and keep my feet cool and dry.

My intention was to leave them in Haiti at the end of the trip. But then, I needed something comfy to wear on the plane. And then, yesterday, I was just walking around the house and slipped them on . . .

And then today, I just ran to Target in them.

Oh crap. This is how it starts . . .