Fit to Be Tied

"Mama, Ms. Duff says that all her friends need to know how to tie their shoes," Grace announces one day after kindergarten.

"Honey, you can tie your shoes," I say.

"But not fast enough," she replies.

It then dawns on me that the majority of her shoes have Velcro closures, ergo her shoe-tying experience is limited. With so little practice, it's no surprise that it takes her longer. Toss in the pressures of staying on schedule in kindergarten, and it's enough to make any 6-year-old knot up under the stress.

"Well, what do you do when you're in a hurry?" I ask out of curiosity.

"I get Brayden to tie them for me," she replies.

Clever girl, but we can't be certain that Brayden will be in her first grade class next year, so we'd better become more self-sufficient in the shoe-tying department.

That night after dinner we begin "Operation Speed Lacer." We tie shoes, we tie belts on her doll dresses, we tie bows around the dog's neck, and tie scarves around my waist. Her little brother Luke unties them and she ties them again, getting faster each time.

The next night I get out the stopwatch and we go for a personal best — both shoes tied in under two minutes. Grace stands on the ottoman, arms raised triumphantly.

To commemorate this glorious achievement, we decide to decorate her shoelaces using permanent paint markers.

The next morning as she ties her rainbow laces, she says proudly, "I'm tying loose so they'll come undone sooner and I can tie 'em back up fast."

"Maybe you can tie Brayden's shoes for him today," I suggest. Now she can't wait to throw him for a loop.