Mom confession: I suck at buying boots

I think I’m a pretty good parent. But there’s one area in particular that I’m a complete failure — and it’s to do with my children’s boots.

I mean, they have boots. It’s not like they’re freezing in a pair of sneakers all winter. It’s just that I keep making the same three mistakes every single year.

The first mistake is that I cheap out. I can’t help it! Boots are expensive! I don’t cheap out on their snow pants and winter jackets, but for some reason I become a total miser when I have to buy tiny boots.

I’ve scoffed at $60 pairs of kids’ boots and been certain I could find a better deal. Most of the time, I’ve ended up buying boots in the clothing section of the grocery store. Sometimes they’re $20 and sometimes they’re $40, but they are never very good.

Last winter, I thought I was being smart by buying a more expensive pair for our son — I think they were $45 — with the plan to pass them down to his sister. I even smartly chose plain black instead of camo or royal blue (which would never match her pink and purple snowsuits).

But, of course, the boots are still junk and will be tossed at the end of this winter. We’re constantly taking the soaking-wet liners out to throw in the dryer, and now I’m reverting to the old “Sobeys-bag-over-your-socks” method of ’90s parents.

Cheap rubber boots, I’ve learned, are just as frustrating because the heels get little cracks that let in all of the water. A rain boot can be perfectly good except for the heel, and then you might as well send your kid out in a pair of Jellies (speaking of ’90s trends).

The second mistake I keep making is buying boots a size or two larger than my kids’ feet …

Continue reading in my weekly parenting column, The Mom Scene …

Continue reading in my weekly parenting column, The Mom Scene …