I don’t know if you have noticed, but we live in a world of convenience. I was most recently reminded of this when I came to the realization that my daughter does not know how to tie her shoes. She has worn buckled, Velcroed, or flip flop shoes her entire life. She is five years old, and I am fairly certain I was able to tie mine by this point. Okay so it’s a minor mommy fail, but not one I cannot fix. I had no idea where to begin teaching her other than by jumping in feet first and showing her how.

Of course the first thing you will need is a kid, one who has the dexterity to tie a shoe. I’m guessing at least four years old or so. Secondly, you need a shoe with laces. We started by sitting next to each other. When I sat in front of her, she got more easily confused, but sitting next to her allowed her mimic my movements more easily. For a few minutes, we watched me tie my shoes, and listened to me describe what I was doing. All over the internet you can find books, songs, and rhymes to help you here,but for me I just wanted to do it, so I didn’t take the time to look any up. If you think it will help your child, by all means, go for it.

Another suggestion that I got after finishing, was buying two different color laces for the learning process. Tie them together then lace the shoes up. It makes it easier to say, “Grab the blue lace.” than it does to say “Right or left.” After watching me for a few minutes I had my daughter sit in my lap and we started on her shoes. Sitting behind her I was able to guide her hands when needed. We continued like this for a few more minutes before finally giving it a try alone. It wasn’t perfect the first few times, but she did finally get a bow. I make sure she has ample time to practice by having her wear her lace up shoes often. I also have her tie he brother’s shoes when needed. Over all, it wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. And now, I’m back on track to being a great mom. Close one.

-Stephanie Wright