Mom, Mom, I'm in LOVE! I'm really in LOVE! Kajal was jumping up in down, her eyes looked like she truly had, somehow at the age of 8, fallen IN LOVE. Oh my goodness, could it really start this young? Oh, Mom... you can't imagine, it's so wonderful, I AM SO IN LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!

Kajal... who are you in love with?

SKETCHERS! I'M IN LOVE WITH SKETCHERS! I have to have a pair of TWINKLE TOES! They are the most beautiful things I've ever SEEN!

Oh, my.

Her eyes were sparkling, she was jumping up and down and twirling all around.

Well, I'm thinking to myself, one of her two pairs has fallen apart and it's time for a back up pair anyway but this label thing... we don't want to start that so early.

For two weeks I went back and forth. She begged, she pleaded, she literally seemed to be dreaming of these Twinkle Toe sneakers. They sparkle, they light up, they literally sparkle and twinkle. If I were a kid I'd love them too... who wouldn't? I was ready to take her to Sears which seemed to have pretty reasonable pricing on them when Kajal mentioned a few other kids in school had them and it seemed to be a big deal.. they were 'friends' because they both had them. Okay, at first they were just sneakers, now the whole label... peer pressure thing came into it.

We talked about it, how friendship is never real if it's based on the 'things' we have. We talked about how what's 'in' now wont be 'in' tomorrow and kids and people who get caught up in always having the lastest 'thing' are not happy... because 'things' can't make you happy... only love can.

We talked... she swore she understood and she swore she only wanted them because they 'twinkle' not because anyone else has them.

Then she pulled out the 'they saved a little girls life mommy' story. They light up, easy to see at night etc etc.

I swore I wouldn't cave so easily.

I think I made it just over 2 weeks.