I’ve started to notice a bit of a trend when I’m out and about. Little ingrates children that have clean kicks (regardless of brand, release, colorway, etc.) often have parents with shoes just as nice and clean. On the other hand, parents with little regard for their shoes, have kids with little regard for theirs. The next time you step out of your lair, I’m sure you’ll notice the same thing. And you might say so what Jordan, they’re kids. Maybe, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t raise them in the culture and teach them at a young age. There are some benefits to this thinking:
First and foremost, we are exposing them to the culture and everything it has to offer. Yes, there are other values and lessons that we should impart on them, of course. But, by exposing them early, they’ll develop their own stlye sense earlier, increase their social skills, and be the talk of all their friends. Don’t you remember the cool kid in school that was always light years ahead of everyone else? I do. And I envied that person. (Not so much anymore, now)
Second, they’ll appreciate their shoes more. It is an inevitable fact that kids will get their shoes dirty. On the playground, classroom, wherever. But, as a junior sneakerhead, they’ll clean their shoes, because their parents taught them how to clean and take care of their shoes. They won’t realize the importance and value of it at that time, but as they grow up, they’ll start to understand that the cleaning and maintenance that they did as a kid translated into saving their parents from incessant spending on shoes, which means saving themselves from excessive spending on shoes as well. Plus, they’re building up their collection by taking care of their shoes and maintaining what they already have before copping some new pairs.
Third, they’ll pass the knowledge and culture on. What’s better than that? One problem with the sneakerhead community is that it tends to be very exclusive. And that’s fine to an extent, as it isn’t for everyone. But to a peer or relative that admires them or wants to up their shoes and fashion game, they can be a great reference and model to break in. Not just that, they may go on to make a career in sneakers, or find ways to incorporate their other passions with sneakers.
At the end of the day, starting them young is something that we should aspire to do in order to push the culture further and keep it alive, more importantly. The youth are impressionable, so let’s impress them with a love for sneakers.
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