Who Have You Seen Converted to Barefoot in Your Life?

[happysongbird]

I have mentioned 4 of my kids deciding to engage in barefoot and minimalist running. And even my husband beginning to give total barefoot more of a try. Plus, I have a couple of friends who are now trying to just be barefoot more, walking and dancing. But I am especially pleased to report that my mother went shopping in multiple places barefoot today! She has been going barefoot at home more, as she has watched me doing my thing, but until this week it hadn't occurred to her that she might be out in public without shoes. She told me that she had worn the "wrong" flip-flops to Walmart and just had to take them off to walk back to the car. When I told her that I have been shopping many times without shoes, she just got so happy. She's having a blast and even texted me how much better control she felt she had with the pedals driving. She's says we are going to have to start a club now. Yeah, I have a great mom.

 

[Longboard]

I've seen many people convert, but never once a parent of a barefooter.
Well done!

 

[happysongbird]

I've seen many people convert, but never once a parent of a barefooter.
Well done!

She's 72 years old. Can't you just picture a 5 foot maybe 5 inch tall happy little grey-haired lady skipping around town?!

 

[Longboard]

If she's 72 and was born in the U.S., odds are 50-50 she enjoyed barefoot summers as a kid.
True?

 

[barefoot kean]

GF didnt completely convert, but I got her to run barefoot about 40% of the time

 

[happysongbird]

If she's 72 and was born in the U.S., odds are 50-50 she enjoyed barefoot summers as a kid.
True?

She grew up 3 blocks from Venice Beach in California. I'm sure she told me before, but I'll have to clarify now, how much she remembers being barefoot.

 

[Longboard]

She grew up 3 blocks from Venice Beach in California. I'm sure she told me before, but I'll have to clarify now, how much she remembers being barefoot.

Guaranteed.......nine months per year or more, including stores and such. The ones from her era that didn't were unable to enjoy the feeling/sensations and would never have converted later in life.
Bet she can recall not seeing her shoes for weeks at a time as a kid.

 

[happysongbird]

Guaranteed.......nine months per year or more, including stores and such. The ones from her era that didn't were unable to enjoy the feeling/sensations and would never have converted later in life.
Bet she can recall not seeing her shoes for weeks at a time as a kid.

I will report back -

 

[Longboard]

TJ grew up in the San Diego area and is around thirty years younger than your mom and she went barefoot and skated barefoot as did the others. Your mom probably went barefoot but it seemed so normal to her that she never gave it a second thought later on.

 

[migangelo]

i grew up in sunny socal. i was only bf at the beach. mom encouraged shoes to my detriment. she grew up bf and poor so when she got shoes that was it. now she worries about me going bf.

 

[Longboard]

i grew up in sunny socal. i was only bf at the beach. mom encouraged shoes to my detriment. she grew up bf and poor so when she got shoes that was it. now she worries about me going bf.

I grew up in cold and dreary Detroit and was raised by European WWII refugees.
We wore shoes in the house, as well as while walking from the beach parking lot to the sand.
The adult barefooters whether runners or not that I have met over the years seem to fall into both ends of the spectrum during childhood...either happily barefoot or terminally shod but making up for it now!

 

[happysongbird]

She remembers being barefoot at home and walking to the beach, but being in shoes for school, church, and shopping, as it was considered proper. That involved walking to school in shoes. She did spend about 4 years before school age in Oregon where she was definitely in shoes more. Also, though she remembers being barefoot, i.e. for some bike riding in the early years, all of the photos of her as a child show her in shoes.

She also specifically remembers that with me, the oldest of the kids, they didn't bother with any footwear until after I was a year old. Didn't seem cost effective!

Now, she wishes she had been aware that all the years when she was in shoes were unnecessary. Would have saved her a lot of money always trying to find shoes that were comfortable!

Kind of sounds middle of the road percentage of footwear wearing amount in childhood.

 

[happysongbird]

I think one thing that "saved" her, is that even though she has always dressed nicely, she would not go with fashions that were very uncomfortable, at least not for very long. There is no attachment to shoes for their supposed art.

 

[Larry]

My four year old girl almost never wears shoes, which my wife doesn't always thank me for. I'll often take her to the supermarket at night and let her walk around in socks, which I'm sure leaves people one step away from calling the authorities. The down side is that whenever the going gets tough, you very quickly hear cries of "Pick me up!". It's a good thing she's tiny.

 

[dutchie53]

My 2 daughters have experimented with running barefoot and one still does, and both are running in min shoes. One in vff's and the other one in vivo's.

 

[Bare Lee]

Great story about your mom Laura!

I been a casual barefooter for a long time, and as far as I know, I haven't converted anyone, but my older brother is totally minimalist now, as are my kids. My wife is mostly minimalist, but she still likes her heels on occasion--mostly for show, and she rarely walks any distance in them. My kids will usually take off their shoes or sandals when they're around me. Otherwise, they're in sandals or minimalist shoes. No one at the kids' school or day care gives me any trouble when I pick them up barefooted, and some have asked about it there and other places, and most people seem open to my explanation about how it's healthier. So who knows? Maybe I've planted the seed a few times. But positive, 100% barefoot conversions? None so far, in more than 30 years . . .
I guess I'm not a very persuasive asphalt technician.

 

[happysongbird]

Great story about your mom Laura!

I been a casual barefooter for a long time, and as far as I know, I haven't converted anyone, but my older brother is totally minimalist now, as are my kids. My wife is mostly minimalist, but she still likes her heels on occasion--mostly for show, and she rarely walks any distance in them. My kids will usually take off their shoes or sandals when they're around me. Otherwise, they're in sandals or minimalist shoes. No one at the kids' school or day care gives me any trouble when I pick them up barefooted, and some have asked about it there and other places, and most people seem open to my explanation about how it's healthier. So who knows? Maybe I've planted the seed a few times. But positive, 100% barefoot conversions? None so far, in more than 30 years . . .
I guess I'm not a very persuasive asphalt technician.

I've learned that it can take many years sometimes to see the results of how we have affected people. They are watching when we aren't aware, too. I'm sure you have had a positive impact.