A teaser on the noontime news today said, "Coming up, those Crocs may be fashionable and comfortable, but they can be dangerous, too. Stay tuned." Well, that's just my luck. The Crocs have relieved my foot pain so much that it just stands to reason they're gonna maim me in some other way.
When the actual news report came on after the commercial break, it was a story about children (one or two maybe?) who have sustained serious foot injuries after their Crocs were swallowed at the bottom of an escalator. And this would be the shoe's fault how? Give me a break.
When we lived in New York, way back in the early '70s, my daughters and I witnessed a child, a rather big boy, actually, getting his foot caught in a department-store escalator. His shrieks made a lasting impression on all of us, and I have no doubt that it was painful and frightening. But the boy we saw was wearing sneakers, not Crocs. Crocs hadn't even been invented yet.
The newscaster stated that recent incidents occurred on older escalators, ones that had worn down and no longer had a tight mechanical fit at the bottom. So shouldn't the news-fingers be pointed at escalators instead of shoes? I guarantee you, if the thick sole of a Croc could get sucked into the moving parts of an escalator, so could most other children's shoes.
So here's my suggestion: If your child doesn't wear steel-toed shoes, and if your child can't be taught to step off the escalator when it reaches the bottom -- you know the kind of kid I mean, the one who'll just stand in one spot and let the escalator do the work of pushing him off at the end -- then there's only one thing to do: You ride behind him, one step back, and be vigilant. Hold your purse and all your packages in one arm and place your other hand on the railing. When that bottom step starts to flatten out in front of your child, let go of the railing, reach out fast with your free arm, and either pick that kid up or shove him hard! He may skin his knees, but his feet won't get caught in the shoe-eating escalator.
that really is kinda wacky! It's the shoes not the escalator. I worry about people, I really do.
ReplyDeleteAustin
glad it wasn't your shoes at fault.
ReplyDeleteSo pleased your shoes don't have any problems Velvet. :)
ReplyDeleteI know I should bite my tongue, but do you ever wonder why we have to lead so many people by the hand today, pin up signs or take them to one side and tell them, "Don't put your fingers in the fire ~ its hot, it burns!" What has happened to common sense?
Sandy
Oh my gosh! How did my children survive to college age? Velvet, I'm ashamed to say, not once did I push them off an escalator, the poor babies.
ReplyDeleteSandy, you are so right - what ever happened to common sense? Not too common, is it?
Austin, I worry about people, too...the world is getting weirder and weirder.
ReplyDeletePatsy, me too. I love 'em despite their ugliness.
Sandy, I doubt stupid people even pay attention to the signs. The signs are no doubt posted to diminish the liability of the merchants who've seen people do stupid things.
Sunflower, my kids made it off the escalator without my help, too. We must have raised geniuses, don't ya think?
TC, I've heard about the hot McDonald's coffee, but I don't think anybody has sued yet for something that was too cold. Hmm. I wonder if Ben & Jerry would settle a nice sum of money on me for repeated bouts of brain freeze.
but how about this lady (who i know) whose kid's shoe got eaten by the escalator despite her child being "well-behaved"? and the shoe got caught at the side of the escalator, not the bottom. read her story here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/daphneosena/410998792/
ReplyDelete