It can be uncomfortable for older people to go barefoot or take the time to sit down and take off their shoes. That said, I agree that it's pretty gross. Have dh offer to buy an identical favorite pair of shoes for each parent to wear indoors. Is there room for a bench just inside or outside the door? Maybe that could be your host gift. 🙂

What are you people doing on your floors that you need to keep them pristine? Do you also cover your furniture in plastic?

Anonymous wrote:House slippers- you are welcome

Read the thread - you’re welcome.

Anonymous wrote:Totally unreasonable for you to expect or even ask for that. I have not heard anything that makes me think this is a Covid risk but if it bothers you, you should not go.

+100
It would not bother me at all, OP. But since it clearly bothers you, I would not go because I don't think you'll be able to deal with it all summer. Instead of looking at this stay as a VERY generous gift (which it is!), you are looking for "risk" and I think you've already made up your mind about that.

Is your 11 mo at the cusp of walking yet? That would make it a little easier.

Agree you’re being unreasonable. We never take off our shoes and we let our kids crawl all over the floor in our house. I’ve caught each of my three kids sucking on shoes multiple times as babies and they’ve never gotten sick from it. We traveled around the world with my oldest when he was a baby/toddler and a couple times I caught him sucking on the wheels of the stroller! Obviously I didn’t let him do it but he did and nothing happened. I think germs are great for kids and for me. I rarely get sick, nor do my kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My dogs go in and out of the house and I don't wash off their paws. If there were a real risk of covid-19 transmission through the ground, I think you'd see higher case rates among dog owners.

Oh lord. I don't want to imagine what's on my dogs' paws. Ew. City streets, forest hikes... ugh. But yeah - we don't wash them either.

So do either of you PPs have kids of crawling age at home?

The idea of a crawling, everything-goes-in-the-mouth aged baby on floors trekked over by dogs that walk through mud and dog droppings and who knows what...shudder.

Yeah, I know the dog lovers will come out to say their kids were toughened up by crawling around on the floor with their dogs. Yay, you. Shudder....

We also do not wear shoes in the home so I get it...but if I were you I would definitely go and just bite my tongue. If it makes you feel better about your crawling baby, I have read that exposing kids to bacteria supposedly helps their immune system develop and may decrease the likelihood of allergies. I would not worry about covid-19 infection from your in-laws shoes, I find that to be so extremely unlikely from what we know at this point.

I think the bigger issue is what this says about your in-laws’ (and perhaps your) abilities to be flexible and compromise on things that matter to the other. What will this go to your relationship long term?

House slippers- you are welcome

Anonymous wrote:I am Asian and grossed out by shoes in the house, but not because of Covid. If you are normally okay with shoes in the house then you should go. I doubt it increases the chance of Covid much. What other unhygienic things does your FIL do?

No, we don’t wear shoes in our house ever because I agree it’s gross. But I have read that when someone sneezes or coughs the biggest particles fall to the floor and end up on your shoes. Covid aside, don’t love the idea of the baby crawling on germ infested floors. My older one didn’t walk until 18 months so not sure he will walk over the next couple months.

I am Asian and grossed out by shoes in the house, but not because of Covid. If you are normally okay with shoes in the house then you should go. I doubt it increases the chance of Covid much. What other unhygienic things does your FIL do?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think covid can be spread by shoe dirt, but I’m not a doctor. Their house; their rules. What other things will they not compromise on? Seems really strange.

Personally, I don’t feel the need to “compromise” on what I wear in my home.

I’m guessing you don’t have many visitors, with this attitude.

We have never not worn shoes in the home. I never even heard of the need to change your shoes (except if they are actually dirty from snow/piles of mud). It's fine. You get covid from it hanging in the air and breathing it in, not it falling off of someone's shoes. You are being unreasonable and paranoid.
And even if you weren't, it's their house, so you either go or don't but if they want to wear shoes you smile and ignore it.

If you guys don't go can I go? Just ask them and let me know, I'll follow any rules they have and go buy their groceries for them and play euchre and watch Golden Girls with them everyday.