Lost Shoes

We missed the bus this morning.

If there is one thing I cannot stand, it is to not be able to find a pair of scissors. I am so bad at losing scissors, I buy them regularly. I was at an estate sales once and bought ten pairs. When I grandfather died, one of the things I claimed was a pair of scissors. I just bought two new pairs last week.

I have no idea where any of them are.

I have unfortunately passed this talent for losing important things to my son. This morning we needed to find Joey's shoes, like every morning. This had become such a problem over the summer that we designated a spot next to our front stairs for shoes. I have a bench in the front hall, the kind with three cubbies with baskets for holding... well, toys for us. Shoes go next to it. Of course, its been moved a little so I can fit the tree table and stand (the hall opens nicely into the living room). So I head over the the bench to grab Joey's shoes... and no shoes.

Under the couch? No shoes.

Under the kitchen table? The trampoline? The dining room table? No shoes.

Bathroom, bedroom, upstairs hall? No shoes.

Joey only really has one pair of shoes. I buy him good ones form Stride Rite. The good thing is he knows his shoes, and we don't have to worry about wanting one pair or another. The bad thing is if we lose them, they have to be found.

Joey's visual scanning and other skills he needs to find objects in a jumble are not good. I-Spy books frustrate him. He quickly figured out that his shoes were missing... and that I was quickly growing frantic trying to find them. This just made it worse, of course, and we were soon in full-meltdown (level 2). Asking Joey to please find his shoes only escalates the problem; if I can't find them, why should he?

So we tried some questions. Where did you take your shoes off? Where did you put them? When we came in from bike-riding, where did you go? I got nothing but more screaming and random pointing.

And then the bus horn beeped.

With no shoes, I had to send the bus on, which sent us to level 3.

It was another ten minutes before I found the shoes. Where were they?

Jammed behind the bench. Remember I said I moved the bench? He had put his shoes where they would be if I hadn't. Only the bench was now in the way...