Chiara asked when she is going to start up with tennis again! This is good, right? She's taking an interest in a sport, in being active and having fun. Unfortunately, this entails buying a pair of shoes, and once again mommy starts to worry.....
First worry, will I even find a pair of tennis shoes for her in the kids department in her size? Last time I checked, she was a kid size 4, which is the equivalent of a women's size 6. Yes, she's got a woman-sized foot on her 7 year old frame. This presents so many difficulties.
There is, of course, the money factor! Women's tennis shoes are at least double in price! And of course, most women's shoes don't have flashing lights or sparkly pink swooshes. This leads into difficulty #3; my girl, despite her size, is still a little girl! She would like flashing lights on her shoes (like her brother has) and would like sparkly, girly doo-dads on them too. Unfortunately, most kids shoes with the aforementioned doo-dads are not produced in size 4, presumably because manufacturers figure that by the time your foot is that big, you've outgrown the need for sparkly, child-like accoutrements. I don't think these manufacturers took into mind giant-footed little girls.
There are so many times when Chiara gets the short end of the stick because she is such a tall and big girl. The Chef can toss Mario all over the swimming pool because he is still so (relatively) small and slim. Chiara begs to be tossed too, but really, her sheer size limits her to minimal trajectory.
She still wants to be picked up, but really, it's a struggle for me to hoist her up around my waist. Last I checked, she weighs around 75 pounds, and that is quite a formidable size. I can generally only manage to carry her a few steps before I have to set her down, for fear of injuring my back. Even the Chef (with all his neck and back problems) cannot lift her. Last time I checked, Uncle Andrea was the only one strong and healthy enough to throw her up in the air! She still loves to be thrown in the air....
and clothes? oy. I am thankful for elastic waist leggings, Hanna Andersson clothes (however, expensive they may be), but I absolutely CURSE the makers of jeans who apparently don't believe that even big girls need elastic waists! I dread the day when my girl curses the shape of her body in a dressing room, as she wonders why she can't fit into the skinny jeans that all the other girls are wearing. I wish that I could insulate her from that reality, but I know I cannot. I expect that within the next year or two, she'll outgrow the girls department (she's already in sizes 10/12) and I know one day I will have to find age-appropriate clothes in the women's department.
The clothing and shoe manufactuers of America need to expand their size ranges for the sake of Chiara and other big and tall girls who are rapidly outgrowing what is readily available. I'm not ready for my 7-year-old to in the women's clothing or shoe departments yet. In a world where girls are being urged to grow up and assume adult roles at younger and younger ages, I'd like to keep my little girl a girl for as long as I can. Hopefully that's still possible.
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