What is wrong with this picture?

Yes, this is Woodson. Not Mercer Anne. Those ARE orange, pink and yellow girl sandals. And yes, we are in public. I would say that Richard and I are into what I would refer to as "progressive" parenting and trying to get rid of "gender" specific items, but alas, this was just another mother of the year moment.

Background: I get invited to my first "play date" in Durham. I am thrilled to be going to the Museum of Life & Sciences with two fellow resident wives and their children.

What happened: Woodson doesn't like to wear shoes. He never has. He takes them off in the car, the minute we get home and sometimes cries when he can't get them off. He was meant to live at the beach. While I rush around getting the kids ready for their play date I make the decision not to fight over shoes. I plan to fight when we get there.

Play date: We get to museum and out of the car. I realize Woodson has no shoes, then I remember I brought them....wait, no, I left them by the door at the house. Hummm, no time to go back or we will miss much anticipated play date (mostly for mom). So I decide we are going to ask to either borrow some or we are just going to sit in the stroller. Fortunately Coco (mom) has a daughter who is 2 and 1/2. When she arrived she had an extra pair of shoes....and these were it.

The most ironic part was I don't think it phased anyone. Durham is definitely different than Augusta. Most of the mom's didn't seem bothered by the fact I had let my son wear typical girl shoes, one woman actually praised me for teaching my kids about equality and individuality and not worrying about "gender".

Not sure my husband would have been too happy with this solution, but sometimes you just gotta do, what you gotta do.  (he'll hate that phrase too!) 

So now I'm a hippie progressive mom...go figure!