Some rules shouldn't be broken

It’s psycho-weather time here in mid-Michigan. We had snow two weeks ago but this weekend it was open-the-windows warm. I know it will not last. I am not getting sucked into thinking spring is here. The first April we lived here, it snowed on my birthday. I am not getting too excited and I am most definitely not switching the clothes around. I just know a cold snap is right around the corner.

Anyway, with the warmer weather came the desire to wear cooler clothes, and Sunday morning, Rebecca came downstairs in a pretty cotton dress and flip flops. I’m not a big fan of the flip-flop, and especially not for Sunday morning and especially not with pretty cotton dresses. “Rebecca, do you have any other shoes you can wear with that lovely outfit?” I asked.

“Well, I do have some white sandals, but I can’t wear those until Easter. So, no. This is all I have,” replied child #3.

I almost cried I was so proud! My baby knows not to wear white shoes before Easter!

Now, I know many people will say those fashion rules are outdated, that those rules are just made to be broken. Well, when you grow up in the South, some rules are so ingrained in you no amount of time lived anywhere else can wipe them from your consciousness. Rebecca only spent the first five years of her life there, but that was long enough for her to figure out some of the most important rules about life. And honey, one of those rules is that white is only to be worn on your tootsies between Easter and Labor Day.

(I am aware some think the rule is no white shoes until Memorial Day. Some very famous etiquette book writers have made this claim. They are wrong. And definitely not from the South.)

So Rebecca wore her flip-flops to church and I was a-ok with it. Well, not totally okay with it. We're going shoe shopping this morning.

From 80 to 55. Welcome to Michigan.