A Conversation

On the way to the bus this morning, Landon and I had this conversation:

Landon- They are going to start taking our height and weight at school this year.

Me- Oh, yeah? Why?

Landon- I don’t know, but I really don’t think it’s any of their business.

Me- I’m pretty sure they’ve always done that, and they track it all the way through high school. I’ll have to ask Zoe. I don’t think it’s too big a deal, really.

Landon- Well, I don’t think it’s any of their business. I don’t want them to see how much shorter I am than the rest of the kids. Mom, I’m like one of the shortest boys in my class! And, if they ask me my shoe size, I’m not telling them.

Me- Landon, you are not that much shorter than most of your friends and you really grew this summer. You’re feet are kind of small, but that isn’t a big deal, they’ll grow! Why don’t you want to tell them your shoe size anyways?

Landon- Because I have the smallest feet ever! My friends wear size 5’s and 8’s and I’m still only in a 2 1/2! I don’t want anyone to know how small my feet are!

Me- Zoe was the same way, and now she has “regular” size feet. Don’t worry so much.

Landon- I’m just telling you that if they ask me my shoe size, I’m not telling them. OK?

Me- Ok.

This is just proof that our boys are just as body conscious as our girls They may deal with it differently and it may not be as bad as it is for girls, but these boys are clearly worried about their appearance. Even at only 10 years old.

* This whole consciousness about his feet is mostly my fault. I once made a comment to him about how his feet were small like his sisters were when she was younger. I think I said it while buying new shoes when they didn’t have the shoe he wanted in his size. It was just an off hand remark that I didn’t see any harm in, but as he’s gotten older he’s become very observant of how he measures up to his friends. Sometimes our careless remarks leave big impressions.