I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Reebok and Finish Line. I received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for participating.
Last week, Mister Man had his Blue and Gold ceremony where he moved from the world of Cub Scouts to the world of Boy Scouts. It’s amazing to me how my little boy is… not so little anymore. Almost overnight he went from wearing a size 2 shoe to a size 5. Last summer, he was the only one of his friends in bowling shoes that still had the velcro closure, but now his feet are big enough that he gets the tie shoes. And as hard as he plays – whether it’s his newfound love of basketball or at recess with his friends – he’s hard on his shoes. Those size 5 shoes I bought him just a little while ago? They are ready for retirement.
Growing up, I don’t remember being quite so hard on my shoes. But one shoe has a full blown hole in it, while the other one has the sole separating from the remainder of the shoe. This time around, we went for the way cool shoes – the new Reebok ZigTech Big N’ Fast EX that I picked up at Finish Line.
Why?
While at the Cub Scout banquet, I was talking to a friend of mine who has three boys, with her youngest in my son’s troop. She mentioned that her boys in middle school have a whole different set of social issues facing them and how there are all sorts of things boys notice in middle school that they never did before. Their socks have to be ankle socks that hit the ankle just so – or they are made fun of (note to self: buy all new socks for Mister Man this summer). And the cooler the shoes, the more they get noticed, too. Mister Man has enough social issues with his Asperger’s that I do my best to make his path smooth when I can. And in this case? I certainly can.
When I told him this weekend – after he showed me the hole in his shoe for the first time – that we were heading to the mall to buy him a new pair of shoes, he groaned. He didn’t want to go. Why couldn’t I just bring home new shoes like I usually do. I insisted, however, as I wanted to make sure I picked up shoes that would fit him for the (relatively?) long haul.
When we walked into Finish Line, the salesperson immediately pointed us in the direction of the Reebok ZigTech shoes, and I got my first “wowwww” from Mister Man. They had his presumed size in both color options, the grey and the blue, and he couldn’t decide which he wanted. The grey. No, the blue. No, wait… (with hands shaking in consternation as he tries to make the best decision) Yes. Yes! Blue.
Though the Finish Line store we were at had two colors available for boys – the blue and black we purchased and a grey, black, and yellow option, there are two other choices available, a red and black as well as a black and white ZigTech Big N’ Fast EX version.
I loved how cute he was in trying to decide which color he liked best, and I think he made a good choice with the blue, if only because it will hide dirt better than that grey. When he tried on the blue size 5, would you believe me if I told you that it was a little tight? His feet are growing. Again! We ended up going with a size 6, and my head is still spinning.
For the first time in shoe-buying history, Mister Man asked if he could wear them right away, as we left the store. Mean mom, I said no. After all, it’s Chicago and it’s slushy in the mall parking lot, and I didn’t want his brand new shoes to get dirty and wet. We compromised, which meant he insisted on carrying them and kept peeking inside all the way to the car to make sure they were still there.
Once we got home, he asked if he could wear them. Generally, I don’t allow shoes inside the house, but since they’ve never been outside, I made an exception. All he did was sit on our couch and read, but he wanted those shoes on his feet.
He is thrilled with his new Reebok ZigTech Big N’ Fast shoes. He’s officially out of velcro shoes by choice, and I love seeing him lace them up each morning. Mister Man loves that they’re so lightweight on his feet, which makes them more comfortable to wear – which makes sense, as they’re made with an innovative lightweight foam to provide extra support to absorb the force placed on them when running and twisting and turning.
I like that they’re bright, which means that they stand out no matter what he’s doing, which will help us not lose them in addition to flat out looking cool.
Of course, the tough part is that Little Miss saw Mister Man’s new shoes, and now she wants a pair. Fortunately, they come in girls’ shoes, as well as the boys’ shoes we purchased, and in preschool sizes for both boys and girls. We’ve checked them out online, and I’m pretty sure she’s going for the violet, pink, and white shoes.
Needless to say, we have some huge fans of the Reebok ZigTech Big N’ Fast line of running shoes over here, which means I think I know what the cool shoes will be for Mister Man in middle school. Given the number of compliments that he’s already gotten from his friends, we’ll be picking up more of these shoes as his feet grow again. And again. Fortunately, they go up to a size 7 (from 3.5 on the small end), which means I’ll at least get through sixth grade with one version or another of these shoes. I hope!
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