There are very few of us, I suspect, that can say that their parents never bought them something hideous to wear when they were a child.

And I don’t just mean they bought it…I mean, they expected us to wear it too (shudder) ‘cos, you know, they’d paid good money for it and all that!  *eye roll.

Or, you’d go shopping with mum and you’d see the most awesome pair of shoes, or dress, or whatever, and she’d be like “Oh no.  I don’t think so.” And instead buy you something completely daggy and sad, and you knew that you were just destined to be the uncoolest kid in the history of the world…EVER, through no fault of your own?  Doomed, I tell you.

When it came to matters of fashion and trends the generation gap baffled me.  Why did our parents fail to see the awesome for what it was, when it was so glaringly obvious to us?

At the age of 33 I still haven’t worked out the answer, but by some cruel twist of fashion fate it seems that I am once again falling victim to this phenomenon.  

Today I took the Woo down to our local Shoes and Sox store to get a new pair of shoes.  Like two thirds of children, Woo does not have average sized feet.  He has great big wide plates of meat which need to be fitted correctly – both length ways and width ways to ensure that they are not bent out of shape whilst they are still growing and developing.

The walls were lined with shoes, sandals, and runners in a multitude of colours, shapes and sizes.

It didn’t take me long to see the pair that I wanted….and also the pair that I definitely didn’t.

Woo was unconvinced by my practical suggestion to take the dark coloured DC’s.  Even with their funky blue sole, apparently they were just not quite what he was after.

He wanted something you know, brighter…more like this.

“Really?” I balked at the sight of the illuminous green laces  Eeeek!  “Let’s keep looking.”

And then…he spotted them.  The ones…no…THE ONES!

They are ‘awesome’…they are ‘so cool.’

They are the pair that had hit me like a punch in the face when we entered the shop and made me wish I’d brought my sunglasses.

He tried them on.  He loved them.

I did not.

The helpful fitting specialist performed the six point fit check.  They were the right length, best width (even for his extra wide feet), and correct depth.  The top of the shoe wrapped neatly around his ankle bone and didn’t rub, gripped his heel shape well, and he could walk easily and naturally in them.

I didn’t have a leg left to stand on.

“Let’s just try the DC ones on,” I attempted to persuade him.

“Now, look.  Aren’t they nicer?  Oh yes.  I REALLY like them.  They are really cool!”  I gushed.

That’s another thing.  Parents saying ‘cool,’….ugh…how uncool is that?

He looked at me with that frustrated, downhearted, exasperated ‘you-wouldn’t-know-cool-if-it-slapped-you-in-the-face’ expression that I remember reserving for my own parents…and then it dawned on me.

Somehow, some when…without me even realizing, I had turned into my mother!!!

When did I become the uncool one?

So…I relented.  What else was I to do?  But…I am resolved to buy those DC shoes for Foghorn in the near future.  He is yet to reach the age where he questions my street cred…and regardless of Woo’s shoe preference..they were COOL godamnit!

What was the worst thing your parents ever made (or attempted to make) you wear?

Until 31st October 2012 American Express cardholders can enjoy a fabulous 20% off full priced footwear at Shoes & Sox – Specialists in Fitting Feet Right.  Follow this link to download your voucher to take advantage of this offer.

Disclosure: I did not receive monetary compensation to write this post.  I did however receive a pair of very bright, and ‘very awesome’ New Balance runners, courtesy of American Express.  As always, all views and opinions expressed are my own.