I hate wearing socks. I like my feet to be naked. I like them to be able to breathe. I dread the day the weather changes and it becomes cold to the point where I am forced to bundle my feet. Give me flip-flops, and I am a happy camper.
Graham, on the other hand, hates not wearing socks. We tried flip-flops a couple of times this summer, but he just didn't like them. He always prefers his Converse sneakers with socks. Rarely does he let his toes see fresh air. I don't get it, but I deal with it. At night, when he has to remove his socks to bathe or just get some clean ones on, it is a struggle. I have to prepare him and remove them very slowly, otherwise, he might have a meltdown. Then, we spend a good amount of time deliberating over which socks he will wear next. It's a delicate process, but, like I said, I can deal with it.
Over the weekend, we went on a little tour to a winery in the mountains where we had the chance to smash grapes with our feet just like they did way back when for making wine. All the other kids had a blast stomping around in the mush, but Graham chose not to participate. He did not want to take off his socks and shoes. We didn't press the matter. Instead, we jumped in and let him take pictures of us. It all worked out. No tears. Everyone was happy.
On Monday, he had his big, 4-year-old checkup at the doctor (I know, we're a little late). Everything was going smoothly. The doctor was very kind and seemed genuinely interested in what Graham had to say. We chit-chatted and he asked questions about Graham's development, and we laughed about some of his quirks, and all was well. Then, the doctor stood up and asked Tony to remove Graham's shoes. Graham was fine with the shoe removal, which is pretty normal. The socks are the kicker. Suddenly, without warning, the doctor stripped Graham's foot of its sock, and Graham lost it. He started crying and saying, "No, no, no!" The doctor threw his hands in the air and apologized profusely and said he'd never seen a case like this before. We explained the delicate sock process to him, which, again, he had never heard of. Graham cried and cried, but he did let the doctor take a quick look at his toes. I didn't understand why the doctor needed to see his toes until he asked him to remove his shorts. Um, did you know that they do a full physical exam on 4-year-olds? I was not aware and could definitely have used some warning. After the sock incident, Graham refused to take off any other clothes, so the doctor had to mark his chart "Unexamined due to the wishes of the patient."
We had spent so much time preparing Graham for his shots (which resulted in a few tears, but otherwise went just fine), that we neglected to prepare him and ourselves for the rest of the exam. Next time, we'll spend more time making sure he knows that he's going to have to let the doctor see his feet. I think I'll start preparing him for it now so he has a year to be ready for it.
p.s. I have lots of pictures to share with you, but with this crazy internet connection, it would take me a year to load them... Please hang in there and I'll keep ignoring the problem and hoping that it will just go away...
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