Under Our Feet. Over Our Heads.
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“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”
Henry David Thoreau
One day these feet will walk. Down stairs and city sidewalks. Maybe, hopefully, down an aisle.
One day these feet will run. In playgrounds. In open fields. Maybe, hopefully, after little ones.
One day these feet will dance. With big sisters at bath time. Maybe, hopefully, with Daddy – and another good man – on a wedding night.
One day these feet will be big. I will no longer stuff them into tiny doll-sized shoes and then stare at them as they dangle on my lap.
One day. Not yet though. Thankfully, not yet.
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Do you have a soft spot for baby feet and baby shoes? Do you ever ponder all the things you and your loved ones will do in the future? Do you think it’s okay that I want for my kids what I have and celebrate for myself (a husband, kids, an active life)?
A few months ago I lined up all of my son’s shoes (sizes 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, and 6.5) on the dining room table and took a picture. It was amazing how much he’s grown since he got his first pair for his first birthday. Now he’s in 7.5s and thankfully they still seem small.
Enjoy those sweet baby feet and shoes!! My four big kids shoe sizes now range from a woman’s 8 to mens 13! Yes, it’s OK to dream for your children, and fun to wonder what their post-college lives will be like. I am learning to accept when their dreams are different than mine…It’s hard, but necessary.
Cute shoes! When I took my daughter at 6 weeks old out to meet my former coworkers, one of them commented that baby feet should never be covered up, because she always just wants to stare (and nibble) on them. I don’t really feel quite the draw to baby feet that I do to baby fingers, but to each her own.
I think it would be odd, knowing the pleasure you gain from your spouse and children, for you to NOT want to share that joy with your kids. And (I realize that you’re not talking about actively working towards these dreams at this point, but) I don’t think there’s any hurt in trying to plan and prepare for a joyful, successful life—as long as, like Jane says, we can eventually accept that our children’s dreams and plans and definitions of “joyful and successful” aren’t always going to follow what we’ve expected. There needs to be flexibility, but having long-term goals for yourself or your children certainly doesn’t hurt in the grand scheme of things. How will they learn how to go about achieving their dreams if they don’t have good examples to follow?
A sweet post. It’s natural to wish our children a good life filled with happiness.
Love the pic