One day I was checking my phone’s photo stream and I saw a picture of three pairs of sneakers. They were too big to be my daughter’s and I don’t own so many athletic shoes, so I realized my own son had immortalized his beloved shoes. Just like I have shared a picture or two of shoes that I love, my tween was showing his own small collection to his friends. When I checked with other moms of preteen boys, we realized all of our sons took pictures of their running shoes!
When we think about shoe lovers, we tend to think about women and girls. However, boys can also be obsessed over their sneakers. As a mom of a preteen boy, I have learned that not all running shoes are created equal and that a guy can never have enough sneakers in their closet. Yes, really.
Here are the top 10 signs your little man is a shoe hoarder:
1. He takes photos of his shoes.
2. He posts said photos on his Instagram and gets more likes than your last two posts combined.
3. He refuses to throw away the shoeboxes, so they are easier to resell.
4. He’s requested access to your eBay account so he can bid on collectible sneakers, usually from a famous athlete’s limited-edition collection.
5. For his birthday, all he wants is a new pair of sneakers or running shoes. Or at least, he requests gift cards that he can save for a new pair, which can easily cost over a hundred dollars.
6. Suddenly his shoes are neatly lined up in his closet, so he can see and find them easily. (There’s always a silver lining, right?)
7. He sets up an alarm or reminder so he can check out new collections or shoes from his favorite athlete as soon as they are released to the public.
8. His conversations with his friends are peppered with mentions of everybody’s wish list of Lebrons, Kobes, or Jordans.
9. When he says “You’re so lucky!” to one of his friends, he probably is referring to the fact that his friend got a new pair of running or basketball shoes. Then he proceeds to beg you for the same pair his friend got.
10. He willingly goes to 10 different shoe stores in the crowded mall during a weekend to find “the perfect pair.” He’ll even wait patiently if you need to buy anything for yourself.
Next time your son starts begging for a new pair of athletic shoes, at least know you’re not the only parent who has that problem.
Find more of Jeannette’s writing on Hispana Global or check out her blog in Spanish. And reach out to her on Twitter and Facebook. She loves it!
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