Mama’s Shoes

Did you ever stomp around in your Mama’s shoes when you were little?
Didn’t we all ?

I’ve been wanting to share this story & today’s the day. I saw that August 25th was “second-hand wardrobe” day.

Did you wear hand-me-downs as a child? I did !

Most kids got hand-me-downs from their siblings or cousins. My sister was much older so I didn’t get many of her clothing items (but I did get her clarinet… another story for another day ). However, I did get hand-me-downs from my cousins though who had some really cute clothes !

I have gotten clothes and shoes from friends, my sister, my daughter, and even my mom ! 😁

That’s where the funny story begins.

Mother was a very stylish lady who enjoyed shopping for clothes, purses and shoes. ( I get it honestly, y’all.)

When she passed away we were going through her closet and I chose to bring home a very cute white coat with black leopard spots.

I also brought home three pairs of shoes. The two pictured here are cute, dressy shoes & I love wearing my mama’s shoes ~ I get compliments on them too!
One pair was very comfortable -looking.
I thought I would wear them to school since they were broken-in.
I never wore new shoes to school since I was teaching Kindergarten and on my feet practically all day. My husband probably rolled his eyes because I, like my mother, had around 85 pairs of shoes. Pick your jaw up off the floor because that counts my flip flops too ! 😉

So the on the night before the first day of school I picked out my clothes and chose to wear these shoes.

I went into my classroom and was busy getting everything ready for the children’s arrival.

I was quickly moving around they room but I started noticing pieces of something strange on the floor. I was so busy I didn’t realize what was happening. I picked them up and quickly threw them away wondering what they were and then I saw more of them … but the children started to come into the room. I helped them find their desks and get settled in.

I was so pre-occupied with what I was doing that I didn’t notice the heels of my shoes were falling apart… little pieces of rubber littered the room ! 😬

I quickly called my husband and explained what was happening. I asked him to bring me a pair of shoes. I’m sure he rolled his eyes again ! 🙄

Thankfully he was able to.

Now if you’ve every been to school on the first day you have an idea what he walked into but he had never seen anything like the three-ring circus it was ! He dutifully brought the shoes to my room and exited the building as quickly as possible !

After that he cautioned me on carefully choosing my school shoes and told me he wasn’t coming back to school to bring shoes. 😅

I wish I could say that was the last time I had literally worn-out a pair of shoes but it’s not. Most of the time I wear my shoes out … until they fall apart !

The reason there’s a day for “second- hands” is that they help people save money. Children’s clothing is usually a good deal for the person buying and the person selling as they are more often out-grown than worn out.

When you shop thrift, resale & consignment stores you help slow down the “fast-fashion market” and you support small business owners as well as the person who was the original owner of the item. When you buy clothing from your friends who are cleaning out closets you are also helping.

But did you know that second-hand clothing actually saves lives. How’s that?

You may not know this but many of the clothes and accessories, especially the less expensive ones that we buy, are made in sweat shops with unhealthy working conditions. I would encourage you to look at the labels to see where your clothes are made and be a conscious consumer.
Also, I would encourage you to seek out brands that pay their employees a decent wage as well as “fair-trade” clothing and accessories where the people who are making these items are being paid a fair wage.