My husband and I grew up in very modest households. When our children were small we were blessed to be able to give them all of the little extras that our families couldn't afford. As our children grew, I was noticing that the little extras were turning into large expenses.
When my son needed a new pair of sneakers, we drove to the nearest Sports Authority. As I was looking towards the more moderately priced section, my son gravitated towards the expensive aisle.
He picked out a pair that he liked, but I just couldn't see myself paying that outlandish price. I explained to him that they were just too expensive.
I could tell he was getting angry and wanted the expensive pair, but I was sticking to my guns. There was a very large selection of reasonably priced sneakers and he was going to have to choose one of those. What was suppose to be a pleasant five minute trip to the store was turning into an all out war. I refused to get him the expensive sneakers and he refused to pick out an affordable pair. Everything finally came to a head when he puffed out his 7 year old chest and shouted, "What are you going to do, buy me some "CRAP" shoes? Remaining calm I replied, "No, I'm not going to buy you any shoes at all!" With that said, we proceeded to walk out of the store.
Although, it killed me watching him go to school with his sneakers looking so worn and tattered, a lesson had to be learned. Several weeks had passed and I wasn't sure how to broach the subject or when it would be an appropriate time to go back to the store. Needless to say I didn't have to make that decision. My son and I were running an errand when he noticed we were driving towards Sports Authority. While looking out of the truck window he casually asked, "Do we have enough time to run into Sports Authority for a pair of sneakers?" I finally got my pleasant five minute trip to the store and my son got brand new affordable shoes.
That was 17 years ago. He now has a Criminal Justice B. A. (Cum Laude). He graduated from the Police Academy as Color Guard Captain and works as a Police Officer for a large city. He is a Certified Physical Fitness Trainer and is blessed to have a wonderful girlfriend. With all that said, I can't help but have a big smile on my face wondering, "How much does he spend on his shoes?"
Kimberly enjoys studying numerology, astrology, love compatibility charts and experimenting with herbal remedies. She is an advocate for more funding from the NCI for pancreatic cancer research and she has operated her own canine stylist business for the past 10 years. Her interests also include studying little known "plant foods" that induce natural weight loss and also studying a little known herb that naturally curbs the cravings for alcohol .
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