Shoelaces

Bought Calder a new pair of track shoes and wondered if once again, we have to change the matching shoelaces to some elastic strings. Why not teach him to tie shoelaces, I thought. And so we did. My mom, who babysits when I'm teaching,  starts the project. Then Ethel. Then me and the Dad. And in one week, he finally grasped how to tie a ribbon. In the process, I realised how intricate the process is, to be able to form a tight  and steady ribbon. Is it right over left or left over right,? Do you bring the end from outside in or from inside out? How big a bow should you make? How do you adjust if the ends get so long they touch the floor? How do you undo the shoelaces without making a dead knot? No wonder we were so quick to resort to shoelace alternative when he was young. Because it seemed impossible to teach when he didn't understand our words, when he wasn't looking, when he was easily upset. But he's 15 and has come a long way from that super-unstable kid. Next is the step of faith - to let him wear those shoelaces out, when we're not with him, praying that he wouldn't get stuck when they unravel, that people would help him if he couldn't figure a way out.