Little shoes

Bee is sleeping with her new Nikes tonight. Like all new pairs of tennis shoes, the colors are bright and unsullied and the shoe itself is factory fresh.

Bee was so excited to try out her latest pair that she cried when it came time to undress and get ready for bed. The compromise we made was that if she took them off she could sleep with them. (The shoes haven't been outside, so they are relatively clean.)

As I tucked my daughter into bed (who was holding in her arms both shoes, a small doll and a McDonald's happy meal toy named "Old Mac Donald's dog", with a bear wearing a nightdress and an ugly plastic baby alongside) I reminded myself that I belong to the "pick your battles" school of parenting.

I could have insisted that she put the shoes away. Bee would have cried for a few minutes, maybe more, but in the end, she would have gone to sleep without them. But taking a pair of new shoes to bed doesn't break any of the major family rules (cleaning up after yourself and being nice). It's not a health or safety issue. And it made her happy.

Parenting a toddler can be exasperating. I find that I am constantly asking myself, with the onset of each new (minor and major) drama, of which there are many each day, "is this important?" If it is, I stand my ground. If it is not, I let it go.

So if Bee wants to wear her rain boots and stomp in every puddle while we're out walking Max, wear her tutu to the vegetable market, or dance in Starbucks, then so be it. She has an amazing spirit which I am privileged to watch grow.