dgt@pegasus.UUCP (Dan G. Theriault) (12/07/84)
Why does everyone seem to like those velcro closings on kids' shoes? What happens when it comes time to learn to tie shoes? or is this going to be a lost art like adding and subtracting by hand? I realize a two year old is a tad young for shoe tieing, but if parents only buy velcro, manufactorers will only make velcro. Our parents some how managed to get shoes on us so why can't we do the same? Heck my dad even got ski boots (the lace kind) on four daughters with ages ranging from 4 to 12 (we weren't strong enough to get them tight enough). My sister wanted simple tie sneakers for her child and had to go to six stores before she found some. It won't be long before she will have to go to ten or more. Oh well I guess this is called progress! Candace
herbie@watdcsu.UUCP (Herb Chong, Computing Services) (12/09/84)
Before this gets out of hand, net.college has had a long discussion of Velcro shoes and losing skills like tying shoe-laces. Herb...
essachs@ihuxl.UUCP (Ed Sachs) (12/10/84)
<> Velcro closings will do the same thing to shoe tieing skills that digital watches did to time-telling. -- Ed Sachs AT&T Bell Laboratories Naperville, IL ihnp4!ihuxl!essachs
pking@uiucuxc.UUCP (12/10/84)
This past fall, when I bought three new pairs of sneakers (as I do three or four times a year) I wound up with three pairs of velcro fastening shoes, for lack of anything else. For my older childern I was not terribly concerned, they had learned to tie shoes several years ago before velcro became the fashion. My three year old does not and with velcro how will she ever learn? However, the velcro shoes for her do have one distinct advantage, she is able to put on her own shoes and "tie" them herself, this is a great help when trying to get five people, three of them childern off to school/daycare/work in the morning. One of my major complaints about velcro is it does not hold it's "sticky-ness" and therefore they aren't much good when they don't stay together-- I will vouch for regular tie shoes being hard to find, I went to 7 stores before settling for velcro--In my case I have discovered it is easier to find tie sneakers for boys and than for girls--
charliem@hammer.UUCP (Charlie Mills) (12/10/84)
>Why does everyone seem to like those velcro closings >on kids' shoes? What happens when it comes time to learn to >tie shoes? or is this going to be a lost art like adding and >subtracting by hand? I realize a two year old is a tad young for >shoe tieing, but if parents only buy velcro, manufactorers will only >make velcro. Our parents some how managed to get shoes on us so why >can't we do the same? ... Yeah, and our great great ... grandparents made their own shoes, and why do we need all this electronic mail stuff, my mother grew up without even TV, and ... :-) -- Charlie Mills
marie@harvard.ARPA (Marie Desjardins) (12/11/84)
> <> > Velcro closings will do the same thing to shoe tieing skills that > digital watches did to time-telling. I don't know anyone that can't tell time on a regular clock (not counting 1-year-olds), do you? And if all clocks were digital (some time in the future), why would anyone need to tell time? Marie desJardins marie@harvard
herbie@watdcsu.UUCP (Herb Chong, Computing Services) (12/13/84)
> >> <> >> Velcro closings will do the same thing to shoe tieing skills that >> digital watches did to time-telling. > >I don't know anyone that can't tell time on a regular clock (not >counting 1-year-olds), do you? And if all clocks were digital (some time >in the future), why would anyone need to tell time? > > Marie desJardins > marie@harvard you hit the nail right on the head. how many of us know how to drive a coach and buggy? Herb Chong... I'm user-friendly -- I don't byte, I nybble....
robison@eosp1.UUCP (Tobias D. Robison) (12/19/84)
Children need to develop nimbleness in their fingers at
an early age. One of the reasons for this is that they
will need to tie their own shoes when young. It seems
reasonable to me to give them more time to learn by using
velcro for a while. Shoe-tieing is certainly easier for
older children.
On the other hand, there may be a GENERAL trend among young
children, that they are not as deft with their fingers as
children used to be. I have heard many teachers of young
children complain about this. The usual assumption is that
children in the last 20 years have spent progressively more time
watching TV instead of doing things, and consequently their
motor skills are developing slower.
If my children were young now, I would be BOTH letting them
use velcro, and encouraging them to play at activities that
develop motor skills and coordination.
- Toby Robison (not Robinson!)
{allegra, decvax!ittvax, fisher, princeton}!eosp1!robisonbll@drutx.UUCP (LewisBL) (12/20/84)
>> >>> <> >>> Velcro closings will do the same thing to shoe tieing skills that >>> digital watches did to time-telling. >> >>I don't know anyone that can't tell time on a regular clock (not >>counting 1-year-olds), do you? And if all clocks were digital (some time >>in the future), why would anyone need to tell time? >> >> Marie desJardins >> marie@harvard > >you hit the nail right on the head. how many of us know how to drive >a coach and buggy? ...Herb Chong... Or hunt our daily meal with clubs and bone knives?
annab@azure.UUCP (Anna Beaver) (12/21/84)
> > If my children were young now, I would be BOTH letting them > use velcro, and encouraging them to play at activities that > develop motor skills and coordination. > > - Toby Robison (not Robinson!) I quite agree. There are many real nice toys out there which allow children the oportunity do develop motor skills. Not to mention a multitude of other things which can be used to learn to tie a simple bow.(I remember being proud when I successfully tied on that cover my mom insisted on putting on the toilet lid). Besides the only reason kids would have to wear shoes which tie is because they don't make Birkenstocks small enough. Annadiana Beaver A Beaver@Tektronix
ijk@hou5e.UUCP (Ihor Kinal) (12/21/84)
One serious problem I see with digital watches is the the loss of meaning to the words (anti-)clockwise. How do you gain experience without tightening a lot of screws??????????? Also, analog clocks are significantly better when all your interested is the approximate time (e.g., is it almost time to go home????). Of course, I wear a digital watch, but mainly for the additional features, like a built-in stop watch for when I go jogging. Ihor Kinal hou5e!ijk
dubois@uwmacc.UUCP (Paul DuBois) (12/27/84)
> > <> > > Velcro closings will do the same thing to shoe tieing skills that > > digital watches did to time-telling. > > I don't know anyone that can't tell time on a regular clock (not > counting 1-year-olds), do you? And if all clocks were digital (some time > in the future), why would anyone need to tell time? I know a 9-year-old who can't tell time *precisely* because of digital timepieces; if there is not one around, he'll look until he finds one. This is kind of sad, I think... -- Paul DuBois {allegra,ihnp4,seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!dubois "The other kids tease be. They call be dubby. I'd dot a dubby, ab I?"