Shoes by the door

Despite my parents obsession with cleanliness, we were not required to remove our shoes in the house. However, we were not allowed to keep them anywhere but on our feet or in our bedrooms.

One day I took off my (school regulation) saddle shoes when I got home from school. I left them in the living room. Mind you, not in the middle of the floor, but under an end table, out of the way. My Dad spied them and threw them out the door - into 4ft of snow. I didn't know until the next morning when I was looking for them. My Dad pointed out the window and I saw two shoe-shaped holes in the snow!  Of course they were soaked and frozen, so I had to wear other shoes to school. I got 5 demerits and 2 days of detention. When I complained to my Dad he said, "Well, you'll remember to put them away next time, won't you?"

(And this is totally off topic but it's 1 a.m. and I can't sleep).  My 6 year old sister once dragged home this Christmas wrapping paper and bow display kit that she was supposed to go door to door selling for a school fundraiser. She left it in the dining room and my Dad "put it away". Only he forgot where he put it. We looked everywhere in that house for weeks. The time came to turn in the orders and return the display kit. My Dad had to pay $40 for the missing items.  My Mom said it served him right.  We found the kit in February, under the couch in the den. 

Whenever I went to friends' houses in Scotland, no one ever asked anyone to take their shoes off

Me either, except for one friend who allows shoes downstairs on her wooden and tiled floors, but not upstairs on her cream carpet.
I personally would not ask someone to take off their shoes in my house.... cream carpets or not.   Well, maybe if they'd trodden in dog sh*t or something.

Growing up, we always wore our shoes in the house. Heck, I don't think I've ever seen my mother without shoes on! I'm a barefoot girl myself, and will kick them off pretty soon after getting home (because I find shoes constricting). I've never even owned slippers as I'd rather be barefoot. I've met very few friends in the US who had a no shoes in the house policy. But if my shoes were messy, I'd go ahead and take them off before going into someone's home or try to clean them on the doormat.

I've socialized very little in Scotland. So my only example are my in-laws who wear their shoes in the house. I can't say I'd be 100% comfy taking my shoes off in an acquaintance's house, as I'm kinda picky about showing my feet to people. If I'm wearing socks, I wouldn't mind, but I definitely wouldn't feel comfy going barefoot in someone else's home if it was the first couple of times I've been there.

One day I took off my (school regulation) saddle shoes when I got home from school. I left them in the living room. Mind you, not in the middle of the floor, but under an end table, out of the way. My Dad spied them and threw them out the door - into 4ft of snow. I didn't know until the next morning when I was looking for them. My Dad pointed out the window and I saw two shoe-shaped holes in the snow!  Of course they were soaked and frozen, so I had to wear other shoes to school. I got 5 demerits and 2 days of detention. When I complained to my Dad he said, "Well, you'll remember to put them away next time, won't you?"

(And this is totally off topic but it's 1 a.m. and I can't sleep).  My 6 year old sister once dragged home this Christmas wrapping paper and bow display kit that she was supposed to go door to door selling for a school fundraiser. She left it in the dining room and my Dad "put it away". Only he forgot where he put it. We looked everywhere in that house for weeks. The time came to turn in the orders and return the display kit. My Dad had to pay $40 for the missing items.  My Mom said it served him right.  Wink We found the kit in February, under the couch in the den.

I threaten to throw my daughter's shoes outside. Maybe if I actually do it she will learn. 

That's such a funny about the gift wrap!
I hide things from my kids a lot and end up losing them.  One time I hid some boots of hers to teach her a lesson and ended up forgetting for a very long time where I hide them. Woops.

Our shoes *should* be on the shoe racks we have beside the door- it's really not hard to just put them on there, but no one does it, drives me crazy. And my daughter has so many shoes just scattered that the idea of throwing them out the door sounds so appealing. 

Well, it worked for me. I never left them in the living room again.   However, my Dad was the type that HAD I left them in the living room again, they probably would have ended up in the trash, and I would have had to pay for a new pair with my allowance. My Dad is kinda hard-core like that. LOL!

Despite my parents obsession with cleanliness, we were not required to remove our shoes in the house. However, we were not allowed to keep them anywhere but on our feet or in our bedrooms.

One day I took off my (school regulation) saddle shoes when I got home from school. I left them in the living room. Mind you, not in the middle of the floor, but under an end table, out of the way. My Dad spied them and threw them out the door - into 4ft of snow. I didn't know until the next morning when I was looking for them. My Dad pointed out the window and I saw two shoe-shaped holes in the snow!  Of course they were soaked and frozen, so I had to wear other shoes to school. I got 5 demerits and 2 days of detention. When I complained to my Dad he said, "Well, you'll remember to put them away next time, won't you?"

    Wow.  I can't imagine being that obsessed about cleanliness or tidiness.

Of course, that lesson would probably backfire on me, because I am pretty sure I would take every pair of shoe I owned, plus my three sisters, plus his, plus my moms and leave them scattered around the house just to prove my own point that its NOT OK to mess with other peoples things. Especially ones that would have given me detention. My Dad and I both have great memories  (we laugh now) of our battles of stubborness and determination to both prove our respective points.   

  Wow.  I can't imagine being that obsessed about cleanliness or tidiness.

Of course, that lesson would probably backfire on me, because I am pretty sure I would take every pair of shoe I owned, plus my three sisters, plus his, plus my moms and leave them scattered around the house just to prove my own point that its NOT OK to mess with other peoples things. Especially ones that would have given me detention. My Dad and I both have great memories  (we laugh now) of our battles of stubborness and determination to both prove our respective points.   

Hahaha PB, I would have done the exact same thing!