Barefoot … through life?

“Put on your slippers!” Hear most children in Polish homes. Maybe it is worth letting them walk barefoot though? Maybe it is not without reason that they want to walk without shoes and take them off at the earliest opportunity? You can walk barefoot on the floor, on the carpet, on the sand and on the grass, on puddles on a summer day, on stones, and also on a special “obstacle course”. In that case, is it worth to walk barefoot or is it just a children’s play?

Of course it’s worth it!

You have probably wondered before why the feet of your beloved child do not look like the adult’s feet. Well, they must undergo a series of physiological changes to achieve their final form. Although the majority of children’s feet will “grow out” of this characteristic valgus, it is worth helping them, among other things, by walking barefoot! For sure you have often heard the opinions that when you walk without shoes or slippers your child will catch a cold or can hurt themselves. In addition, it will get dirty … or the socks will be dirty! Fortunately, there are more advantages than disadvantages of walking barefoot, so let your child do it!

In addition to allowing the child to walk barefoot, you support the proper development of his feet, you make his body stronger by exposing them to some unfavorable conditions – in this case, for example, wet, cold stones. As a result, you strengthen its resistance and provide it with greater protection against viruses or bacterial infections.

What’s more, barefoot walking also has an effect on perceptiveness. How? Do you remember when you were small and tried to cross the yard barefoot? You paid attention to every little pebble, to not step on it or to any insect, not to crush it. Thus, although probably not knowing about it, you practiced your ability to concentrate.

Interestingly, there is a community that does not recognise shoes and walks barefoot (Society for Barefoot Living). They consider footwear to be an unnecessary addition. Madness? Are you sure? Maybe it is sometimes worth taking an example from them?