Always Wear Socks in Your Shoes, Always

Mom always told me that and except for what are now called flip-flops, we learned their name as thongs-I always wore socks or nylons when I had shoes or sandals on. Always. That's how it was.

So I was good about wearing flip flops if I HAD to have something on my feet. Let's face it, in Southern Cally you rarely need to cover your feet except when going into a business where health codes require such things.

Fast forward a couple decades... I take my number three child in to the doctor. He's got something on his feet-the skin is so dried out and now there are pimples too.

What did the doctor say? Well, here's some cream for his athlete's foot, the pimple (they did a biopsy) is staph infection so here's a prescription for that, throw out the old shoes, always wear socks, wear sandals WITH socks so his feet can air out (moistness feeds and houses athlete's foot), and change your shocks at least once a day but twice a day would be fine too.

I had never ever experienced athlete's foot. I had insisted my kids wear socks in their shoes. I had insisted they change their socks everyday-yet from how stiff and yucky some of his socks were-I knew he wasn't following this counsel.

Live and learn. Wear socks. Better to prevent athlete's foot than to try and eliminate it.