Despite their recent split, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie still share custody of their six children: Maddox, Pax, Shiloh, Zahara, Vivienne and Knox, which means that the kids are supported by not one but two very rich and famous actors.
So you can imagine my surprise when, earlier this week, two of the kids: Shiloh, 11 and Vivienne, 9, were spotted at a shopping center walking barefoot through the aisles and even the parking lot!
Now, in some cases, I do advocate for children going barefoot: babies, for example, should not wear shoes before learning to walk as the shoes interfere with their foot growth and development.
But barefoot babies are not walking around; I don’t suggest taking your child of any age out of the house without shoes and/or socks as doing so leaves his or her feet vulnerable to any number of problems: fungal infections, cuts, scrapes, blisters…the list goes on and on.
I understand the impulse to let kids be kids and enjoy the simple pleasures of summer like walking barefoot—but there are times and places when doing so is safe, and the parking lot of your local Target is not one of those places!
Do your kids a favor: make sure they wear their shoes when out in public, even by the pool or in the public showers. Let’s keep them safe and keep bare feet for the inside of our homes!
If your kids do go barefoot and have a foot issue, contact Houston pediatric podiatrist Dr. Andrew Schneider for an immediate appointment.