The Barefoot Months – According to Mom (Months Without an “R”)

Ah….. here it is, August 1st. The last Barefoot Month of the Year…

First of all, how the heck did that happen?

What happened to April?!?!

I have no idea where these past several months have gone. They seem to have just zipped by in a blink of the eye. Do you feel that way, too?

The Barefoot Months

When my brothers and I were kids, we loved to go barefoot in the Summer. I still do.

We didn’t want to wear no stinkin’ shoes! We wanted to feel the grass, the sand, the mud between our toes.

Going barefoot made you feel free! You could get dressed in the morning, eat breakfast, then run right outside for the entire day – not having to stop to put on shoes. It was wonderful!

Mom was a barefoot kind of gal, too. She even went barefoot out to get the mail in the Winter months! Crazy Mom – we thought she was so cool!

Of course Mom didn’t want us to go outside barefoot in the Winter, so she told us her rule…

You can go barefoot outside in any month that doesn’t have the letter “R” in it.

Mom was so smart!

Think about it. Living in Minnesota, most people are not going to go outside barefoot in JanuaRy (brrrr!), FebRuaRy, MaRch, and mostly ApRil.

By the time May rolls around, the snow is usually melted and you can say goodbye to shoes! (And to the letter “R”)!

June, July, August (no letter “R”) – all perfect months to walk barefoot in the grass.
In the water.
In the sand.
In the mud.

But when SeptembeR rolls in and the temperatures start to drop, going barefoot gets a little colder on the feet.

By OctobeR, most sane people are wearing shoes. Not me, usually, but most sane people. LOL

In NovembeR, again, most people are wearing shoes. Or at least flip flops.

And then DecembeR comes around and you might have to go straight to boots. UGH! Boots. You might still see me in flip flops, rebelling against boots.

I love Mom’s Barefoot Month Rule, and have used her rule with my own kids. They follow that rule pretty much. Well… except for one son who is way too much like his Grandma and has no problem going barefoot in the Winter when running the garbage out. Crazy Kid.

The Last Barefoot Month of the Year

So. Here we are. August.

The Last Barefoot Month of the Year.
For most people.

It seems so bittersweet to be thinking that next month is already Fall and that darn letter “R” comes back into play.

Darn that letter “R”.

For me? I plan on breaking Mom’s Barefoot Rule (sorry Mom) and will go barefoot as long as I can. Maybe into December. I just can’t stand the thought of Summer coming to and end, or of shoes.

How about you? Do you enjoy going barefoot, too? Share your thoughts in a comment below and let’s chat.