No Shirt, No Shoes? Big Problem.

The rain just won't stop. Maybe my brain is starting to mildew, but I'm not enjoying this any more. Yes, my lawn is a very un-July shade of green. Yes, my electric bill looks more like February than July. But rain and toddlers don't mix.

Rain boots and toddlers, though, are a very different story. See, I bought John some rain boots at Target back in June. Before monsoon season. They were just so cute, and even if he never wore them, I thought they were a good purchase. After all, "he" had been drooling over them every time we walked through the garden section, so once I spied that tell-tale red Clearance sticker, they were in our cart.

Fast forward to Monday. We arranged to meet Dawn and Victor at the park, post-nap. As we pulled in to the park (with John yelling "Park, Park!" from the back seat), the skies opened up and we were forced to retreat. No problem -- I could finally pull out the rain boots! I got John all dressed and opened the door ... to a gigantic crack of thunder. No splashing today. The disappointment (whining) was increasing by the second. OK, no problem. There's always Backyardigans. Until the power goes out.

You would think that I would have been smart enough to put the rain boots away, and save them for a rainy day surprise. Or, then again, maybe you wouldn't. At any rate, after just two days the rain boots are now a vital part of our daily routine. This morning they were on the sofa with John for Sesame Street. He has almost learned to do a handstand as he tries to get them off by himself. They are affectionately known as the "big blue shoes" -- not to be confused with "Daddy's big blue shoes" or John's "big black sandals." Shoe color is a big deal around here, you know.

But. That is not the biggest shoe problem. I can only wish that the rain boots were the source of all the angst.

No, the biggest issue is John's newfound horror at having to take his shoes off. At first I thought it was a fluke -- last week I took him to the playscape at the mall (again -- because of ALL THE RAIN!), a place that he usually loves. But given the choice between taking off his shoes to play and going home, he headed for the car without so much as a goodbye.

Today, I realized that this shoe thing may be a bigger problem. We packed off to Ready Set Play, where he happily frolicked last week without any outbursts or issues. We paid, we were tagged, and John bolted for the nearest bouncy house. With his shoes. I retrieved him and pulled his shoes off so that he could play in accordance with the posted rules.

Oh, the agony. Oh, the screaming and crying and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Full-body sobs on the floor in front of the bouncy house. I tried patiently to explain the rules. I tried taking him around to show him all the other sock-footed kids having fun. I tried a time out to watch. I tried climbing in with him. No deal.

When the ninth concerned parent in a row asked me if he was too tired/too scared/too young for the bouncy houses, I called it a day. The tears dried the minute I told John that if he wanted to put his shoes on, we would have to go home. He headed for the door. Oh, we SO got a refund.

I can't really blame him. It has been raining pretty much every day for almost 6 weeks, and that's enough to make anyone a little cranky. Rest assured that once his shoes were on, we headed for the nearest park, and I got to see my favorite smiles again. At least, until we got home and I took his muddy shoes off at the door...