Giselle's first pair of Crocs

I'm not a big fan of Crocs at all (In fact, before I have a kid, I find their collection too lousy to be classified as a pair of "shoes" to go with anything). This summer, I decided to get Giselle a pair since most moms in her class told me that it is not a bad idea to wear one to the beach so that we'll worry less about broken shells. Giselle has been a very picky child since birth, and so the two of us have even "discussed" over this a few times before we went to the specialty boutique this afternoon.

Frankly, I didn't bring Giselle to shop for HER stuff that often since I bear complete confidence and absolute pleasure in shopping alone all by myself. After she turned 2, Giselle's eye for beauty and details started to shine and I began to see her as my shopping companion whose taste is comparable, if not, better than her mom.

Today at Crocs is basically Giselle's first "real" shopping experience so far. I gave her a free-hand in all decisions that arrived in this final pair of "Giselle's choice". Unlike most kids who were either overwhelmed or getting impatient, Giselle showed great interest in making choices among a mountain of shoes and accessories. From the design of the sandals itself, color, little accessories to even the exact placement of accessories, my little girl patiently gave every step a serious thought. She even had fitting three times and gauged herself critically in the mirror before making up her mind. For a second, I suddenly envisioned her as my best friend, Phyllis, who was the most professional buyer I partnered with in my last job.

Having been told that her favorite orange was sold out, Giselle turned to lime green as I got a pair of Birkenstock of the same tone. "I want to look like Ma Ma" is her top motto of the week. Yes, her motto by and large changes every week. If I didn't bring Giselle to the store today, I would have never picked Pluto and Goofy to accessorize this pair of lime green sandals. I thought she hates dogs. Giselle is never sick of giving us surprises every day!

I am so glad that Giselle has inherited my traits of having an eye for details and an appreciative mind for beautiful things. Life indeed is an enduring journey of making choices of all kinds, big and small, happy and sad. As parents, we have fewer things to worry about when our kids can savor the beauty of the process.

July 8, 2010
Giselle @ 25 months 29 days