Footwear Fascination

Tennis Shoes. Boots. Slippers. Flip Flops. Sandals. Crocs.  If feet go in them, they are fair game.  As I mentioned in Mr. Bossypants, slippers are things that Matthew likes to be bossy about and in  Message to Snarky Women at the Park,  I talked about how Matthew has lots of objects that he is attracted to (items that he is drawn to or will cause him to perseverate on).  Footwear is a big one! Knowing that Matthew is a sensory seeker (needs to touch and smell things to make sense of his world) helps put his love of footwear into perspective. Let's just take a little look in the closet:

Tennis Shoes
Why He Likes Them:  The rubber bottom part smells good to Matthew.  Most tennis shoes have a pattern on the bottom that helps with traction, but for Matthew that provides just the right surface for tapping and scratching.
When it Causes a Problem: When people are wearing the shoes.  People like their personal space. Sometimes Matthew gets fixated on a specific pair of shoes, such as a little boy who goes to our church. When they are in Sunday School or up for the Children's Sermon he tends to try and sit next to this boy so he can tap the bottoms of his shoes.

Flip Flops
Why He Likes Them: We've got the rubber smell going on just like the tennis shoes. Plus the extra bonus of them being easy to slip on.  Have you noticed they make a great smacking sound when you walk too?
When it Causes a Problem:  When Abby can't find her flip flops, she immediately blames Matthew (sometimes rightfully so, but not always).  When Abby's friends come over, we usually have to find their flip flops when it is time to go.

Crocs
Why He Likes Them:  Rubber... (got that part now, don't you?).  Just like flip flops, they are easy to slip on.  The bottom usually has some lines that are good for scratching.
When it Causes a Problem:  At places like bouncy houses and trampolines where everyone just throws off their shoes.  When he's done jumping and is supposed to be putting on his own shoes, he just might spend a little time with someone else's crocs. Last week we were at the beach and some kids had left their crocs in plain sight (what were they thinking?) and he made several sneaky attempts to get some up close time with them.

Boots
Why He Likes Them: First of all, there are so many different kinds of boots!  If we start with winter boots...we still have rubber to smell.  And they are chunky and have textures to scratch on the bottom.  But most of all it is extra fun to walk in boots that are too big...like Daddy's!  Although the stairs are a little bit of a challenge.  Then of course there are fashion boots.  He likes to wear these because they have fun zippers on the sides. Smelling the leather is a novelty after all that rubber.  The boots go up way past his knees and they make a squeaky leather sound when he walks.
When It Causes a Problem:  In the morning rush to get to school in the winter, chances are we might have to take a trip up to Matthew's bedroom to find a missing boot.  If you read Teddybear...bwhahaha, you will know that boots are one of the things that Matthew likes to sleep with.  His school never said it was a problem, but I can only imagine that there must have been some attraction issues when all the boots were lined up outside the classroom to dry!

Slippers (otherwise known as the Footwear from Hell)
Why He Likes Them: They can be fuzzy, but still have somewhat scratchy bottoms for tapping and scratching.  They make a cool shuffling sound when people walk in them.  Both Grandmas have a pair of slippers and he knows right where they are in their houses.   The FIRST thing he does when he goes into their houses is bring out the slippers.  When Grandma Sieling comes, she sometimes stays overnight, so he always checks her bag to see if she brought her slippers.  Sometimes he will wear them, but more often than not he makes me put them on.
When It Causes a Problem:  He truly can become quite obsessed with the Grandmas' slippers and having them in his possession.  He has tried to sneak them into the car when we go places.  He tries to sneak them out of Grandma's bag when it is time for her to go home.  Last Friday night he woke up at 3:30 in the morning and in a frenzy he raced down to where Grandma was spending the night and busted into her room to get the slippers.  After that, he was so wound up that he couldn't go back to sleep, which means we didn't get much sleep either!

With all this fascination with footwear you might be surprised to find out that when it comes to his own two feet...he actually likes to be barefoot!  (Which can bring some problems of its own!)