September 1, 2010

To shod or not to shod. That is the question.

So I had this brilliant & witty idea for a blog post this morning while taking the FarmHands to school...and then I sneezed. Now I have no idea what my name is.

Instead I have a question for you all: What is your stance on shoes in the house? Do you wear them? Do you allow them? Do you encourage them? What about house shoes?

I refer to Husband as the Shoe Nazi. He cannot abide the kids wearing shoes in the house. Occasionally he loosens up for company, but if you're going to be here any length of time & you're under the age of 75 you'd better have bare feet.

Me, I'm not as picky about it. If your shoes aren't covered in mud or animal feces, you're good to go. I, personally, am nearly always shoeless. I don't like to wear shoes if I don't have to. In the winter I will rock a pair of house slippers because I'm prone to cold feet, but they get packed away about mid-April not to see the light of day until the first good frost in October.

I know it has a great deal to do with how we were raised. QM didn't want us wearing shoes in the house when we first moved to TN because the carpet (and house) was brand new. After a few years she gave up that battle & hasn't picked it up since.

MIL on the other hand is adamant about her shoesless policy (among other things). In part because she's a bit of a germaphobe & in part because they have cattle & no one wants to scrub manure off their carpets.

So, what's your shoe policy?

8 comments:

Sarah @ Ordinary Days said...

When I was little I wore my shoes right up until I put on my PJs. My husband, on the other hand, was raised taking his shoes off within a foot of the door, no exceptions.

We take our shoes off in the house now. And though it took me a while to convince him, Mr. Ordinary doesn't expect guests to take their shoes off anymore.

Anonymous said...

When I was a real estate agent some homeowners would post signs asking the people looking at the house to remove their shoes. Some people did not mind, others refused. It never mattered to me. Usually at home I take my shoes off in my room as soon as I get home and E-man drops them wherever he lands sometimes they don't make it out of the car.

Heatherintheboro

Layla said...

We have hardwoods, so I almost always have shoes or those socks with rubber stoppies on when I'm inside. I can't stand to feel "stuff" on my feet. And no matter how often I sweep, there is always "stuff" on hardwoods, especially in Georgia, where pine straw is more abundant than air. If we had carpet, I'd prefer shoeless but wouldn't be militant about it. Unless it was raining out. Or snowing. Or if there was a lot of pinestraw. Well, there's always a lot of pinestraw, so. I'm just going to end this here.

Inkling said...

We live in Canada. To any Canadian, that would be enough of an explanation. But for all you Americans, let this American/almost dual citizen enlighten you.

Canadians are like Hawaiians. Shoes come off before you even take off your coat. It's sad really. Because while it saves carpets and such, it makes people like me who love to wear cute shoes suddenly wear whatever is easiest to step out of without having to sit down or lean against a wall or do other awkard bodily contortions. This pretty much means flip flops in summer and clogs in winter. My cute buckle heels, tie wedges, lace up runners, and zipper boots? They live in the closet year round and rarely see the light of day. Like I said, it's sad.

The funny thing is that now when I go "home", I get a little grossed out to see my parents wearing the very runners than probably squashed a worm last week on the wet pavement in their living room on their stained light ivory carpet.

But it's bad to go bare feet year round for those of us with pronating or arch issues. So slippers or "inside shoes only" come into play at our house. Plus, I'm with Layla. I hate, hate, hate having stuff on my feet, and no matter how often I clean, we always have pine and cedar needles in our house. I even vacuum our outside welcome mat to no avail.

So there is my essay on Canadian feet policies. I hope you like it. And just so you know, your floors are always quite lovely, and I never minded taking my shoes off when I'd visit. =)

Inkling said...

p.s. If you get your passport (which I really believe should be a requirement of your new journey of therapeutic options), I will let you wear your cute shoes in my house. I am not a shoe nazi. Especially when they are cute shoes.

And your mother can take off her shoes in your house while she watches your four children and cooks for your husband while you are in Canada having a therapeutic adventure for a week.

Oh, and your dad can wear his shoes to work so he can pay off the credit card of his that will pay for your plane ticket and the gas money for your mother's trip to your house for this aforementioned therapeutic adventure.

Kork said...

I LOVE Inkling...that made me smile!

I'm of the take-off-the-shoes-as-soon-as-it-isn't-rude camp...I love me some cute shoes, sexy shoes, wicked bad shoes...Docs, Chucks, Manolos (not that I own any...yet)...Nikes, whatever...

HOWEVER! With 3 kids, 2 cats, and husband who has woodworking as his hobby, there is ALWAYS something on the floor, so we do tend to wear socks.

I hate stained carpets and wet spots on my hardwood floors, and living in Colorado, I'm afraid that those who claim this house as their primary residence take off their shoes when indoors. I keep a pair of flip flops by the back door in summer, and pair of slip-ons for winter to do things like grab mail and gather produce...

I don't expect visitors to follow that, however, because unless you're here for a visit (hint hint!), you're going to only be here for a short while.

I do love when people ask me though, and I can say "Thank you. Only if you're more comfortable taking them off."

In my "when I win the Powerball" dream world, it won't matter because I'll have a staff of maids and housekeepers to keep the puddles at bay and the dirt swept and vacuumed, and the carpets cleaned...

Penny said...

when we had kids at home, they had to take their shoes off at the back door. This was because who knew where they had been and they never looked to make sure the shoes were clean. Hubby takes his off at the back door when he is coming home from work, but otherwise he will wear them all evening. I dont take mine off until the bedroom..but I do make sure they are clean...I dont ask people to take them off..but if my carpets are newly cleaned, it would be nice if they did!! speaking of clean carpets...we should get that done!! LOL

T Moss said...

I do not like to go bare footed. I NEVER go outside without shoes and while I will kick off my adorable high heels as soon as I get home from work I will put on socks or tennis shoes or something. I simply do not like the feel of stuff on my bare feet. Although I never refuse a foot massage! LOL