Kids Explain Why They Go Barefoot

Adults tend to analyze everything ad nauseam. There are times when the simple, uncluttered thinking of a child can make more sense than all the studies or arguments available. Why do kids go barefoot? They haven’t read any peer reviewed papers. They just know they have feet and that their feet are meant to be walked with. Not just on.

Some of the reasons that adults tend to give for not going barefoot, are possibly the very reason they should go barefoot. Instead of trying so hard to protect the feet, to the point of greatly inhibiting their usefulness, maybe adults should be thinking about how to unleash the natural abilities of the feet. That seems to be what some of my young friends think.

I have known these girls their whole lives. They have been at my house often, when their mom comes to visit. But I have never spoken to them about being barefoot. I don’t know if they really noticed my bare feet when at my house. However, they did notice in one of my music videos. They saw me dancing and running barefoot and they were inspired! But you should read what they wrote about it. It is sweet.

Barefoot Walking       By Evelyn age 11

I first heard of barefoot running from Mrs. Blodgett and I liked the idea. The reason I started to barefoot walk is because of goatheads. A goathead is a seed that is covered with spikes that are hard to see in grass. So I thought, “What if I can make my feet tougher?”  Since I’m a kid I decided to just walk instead of run. My mom said I should write a little article. I am not the only one of my family that likes to go places barefoot. My sisters like to do it too and two of my brothers do too.  Our mom makes us carry our shoes in case we need them. I have gone for barefoot walks five times so far, but I go barefoot in our house and yard almost all the time. I am not fond of socks because I like my feet to feel the air. 

I love Barefoot walking           By Caisley  age 5

I saw a video of Mrs. Blodgett running barefoot and I wanted to try. I walk barefooted with my sisters. My mom makes us carry our shoes along with us in case we step on something sharp or our feet get tired. The road feels good on my feet. I think it is fun. We go barefoot in our house all the time, but I wear shoes when we go to town.

Bare Feet          By Libby age 3 ½

I love taking walks in bare feet. Because it toughs up my feet. I walk on the white line and it feels good to my feet. Little Jaxson comes with us with shoes on. And Mom too.

Certainly, there are lots of things kids need to learn; and adults have a place in their lives guiding them, helping them avoid wrong conclusions or selfishness. But sometimes, we adults can learn from them how to get back to basics. We don’t need a study to prove everything.