Back to School Commentary – Shoes vs. Supplies
Yes, parents and students it is that time of year again…already! Where did the summer go? It seems to me the summer has flown by extremely fast. So, ready or not, it’s time to get the kids geared up!
For the past week or so there has been a meme floating around on Facebook that reads:
“Parents, Please don’t send your kids to school with $200 shoes and no school supplies.”
I will admit when I first saw it, I laughed. Usually when I see something I deem funny on Facebook, I laugh and move on. After chuckling about this one I couldn’t move on. Was it intended to be funny, or was it a statement meant to shed light on a situation? Since I have no idea who originally created the meme, I can’t speak to their intent.
If it is a bona-fide problem, it leaves me to wonder why. Is it because of peer pressure? Peer pressure today is certainly more intense than it was when I was in school. This is due in large part to the advent of social media. Kids are shamed and bullied on such a larger scale now when they don’t fit in.
Parents will typical do what they must to protect their kids from being picked on but would we really ensure they have the latest name brand shoes at the expense of needed school supplies? 
Would we short-change our kids that way? Would we put them at a disadvantage just so they can fit in?
One of my little cousins told me he is looking forward to going back to school so he can sport his KD 9’s. (Side note: I was clueless what they were and had to ask him!) But in addition to his Kevin Durant shoes, I know his mom will make sure he has the real school supplies her son needs.
So I’m choosing to believe the meme was meant solely as a joke. I need to believe it was just a joke.