Creative Nonfiction

Tying Shoes on my Own Time by Emma Kelly

One, two, buckle my shoe

Three, four, shut the door
Five, six, pick up sticks
Seven, eight, lay them straight
Nine, ten, begin again

I was seven years old when I was first told how to tie my shoes.
At the time, I wasn’t aware of how mature of an age I was at to just now be learning how to tie
my shoes. I was a child who adored Velcro. Velcro was

Light up sneakers
Convenience
Comfort
Home
My mom

My mom never pushed me to wear tie shoes. She knew I loved the way they lit up when I
stomped around, and she knew that I would learn. My dad, on the other hand, thought it foolish
that I was reaching third and fourth grade not knowing how to tie my shoes. She would always
say to my dad, “Frank, she will learn to do it on her own time”. She never doubted me, not even
over something as simple as tying shoes.

Criss Cross and go under the bridge
Then you got to pull it tight.
Make a loop but keep a long tail
That is how to do it right
Then you take the other string and
you wrap it ’round the loop
Pull it through the hole
Now you got the scoop
Criss Cross and go under the bridge (this is where you tie the loops together)
Now you made a Double Knot!

I got my first pair of tie shoes at nine years old. They confused me. The shoes didn’t light up like
my trusty Velcro shoes did. They were pink, sequined, and uncomfortable. My toes were
pinched. Heels were rubbed. Overall, my young self was displeased with this first introduction to
tie shoes. Why did my comfy pretty shoes have to go? What was so wrong about wearing the
shoes that I liked?
Tongue
Lace
Eyelet
Toe Cap
Heel
Insole

According to LeapFrog, it takes practice learning to tie shoes. A lot of practice. As such, along
with having skills, kids also have to have the maturity to have "patience and determination."
Because of this, while kids may be ready when they are four via their motor skills, maturity-wise,
they likely are not ready until later to be willing to sit and work at tying shoes.

I practiced. More so, I attempted to tie my shoes over and over again. I folded lopsided bunny
ears over one another that created too loose of knots to hold throughout my school day. I tied
faulty knots that came undone in a matter of five steps. I went entire recess periods with laces
scraping the ground. I just could not grasp the concept of looping bunny ears and crossing them
over. Of course when my mother noticed I was struggling, she began to tie my shoes every
morning. She must have done some magic, I never noticed that my shoes became untied
whenever she tied them. Obviously she had been double knotting my shoes, but to me, it was the
magic that my mom possessed.

A Mother’s love is something
that no one can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,

It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away . . .

It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking . . .

It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems . . .

It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
like the mysteries of creation . . .

A many splendored miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God’s tender guiding hand.
- Helen Steiner Rice, A Mother’s Love

With time, things change. Some things get harder, but many things get easier. Tying shoes is one
of those things that thankfully became easier for me. While my laces do not drag the ground
anymore, I tend to keep my shoe tying to a minimum. I tie my shoes a bit loose, and then slip
them onto my feet everyday. Over time, this lack of untying my shoes has ruined them. I have
gone through several pairs of identical shoes because the sole becomes worn out faster than it
should have been causing the insides of my shoes to decay. I know this could be avoided if I
untied my shoes every now and then. My mom and I jest at how many shoes I’ve gone through
because of my disinterest in tying shoes, and she always says the same thing.
“Oh ‘Em, you will figure it out on your own time”

Hey, I put some new shoes on
And suddenly everything is right
I said, hey I put some new shoes on
And everybody's smiling, it's so inviting
Oh short on money but long on time
Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine
And I'm running late and I don't need an excuse
'Cause I'm wearing my brand new shoes