J-Jo: Do you like your boots that way?
Friend: Do I what?
J-Jo: Do you like that they're brown?*
Friend: Yeah, I like them.
J-Jo: Oh. (silence) I like the flashy butterflies on them.
Friend: Thanks.
J-Jo: Even though they're brown.
* To this day, I've only been able to get J-Jo to wear one brown pair of shoes. And that's only because the boots have these little, metal, heart-shaped charms dangling from them. The girl loves shoes as much as the next sister, but they must be flamboyant. The more bells and whistles the better. I've been known to blink back tears of frustration in the kids shoe aisle at Target as J-Jo extols the virtues of hot pink Barbie sneakers with blinking lights and sparkly laces. What's wrong with plain mary jane? I just pray she keeps the habit in check: I suppose I could tolerate a wannabee Nia Long, who recently admitted to the shoe hoarding sickness...but please Lord, please don't let me raise a junior Star Jones.
I can already picture her begging me to take her to DSW. Not that there's anything wrong with that...
