Twinkle Toe Shoes cause epileptic seizures?

[luvmy3]

Lying, probably not technically. There probably is a minuscule chance they could cause an issue but I think they are being at least disingenuous about the real reason.

I certainly hope a school would not intentionally use a medical condition as their excuse just to avoid telling parents the truth about why they don't want the shoes in school. Most parents I know would not have an issue if the shoes were banned because they were a distraction in the classroom, there would be no need to make up something especially something as serious as them causeing seizures in the kids with epilepsy. I hope that a school gives the parents of their students more credit than that, if they don't I would think it was the last place I want my impressionable young children 8 hours a day learning from those very people

 

[AlleyKat]

Sorry, I would follow-up with the school. If they want to say it's a distraction, that's fine, but I don't believe it's because of seizures. I have to admit, I'm so sick and tired of the PC world and everyone being special and having special circumstances. So if there is a child who has issues, do they never watch TV in the dark, go to movies, drive in a car because a blinking traffic light could trigger a seizure? I'm also assuming they never play video games or go to Disney because we all know how many different strobes/lights, etc. there are there. I'm just incredulous at how people think the world is going to remove all the obstacles from their lives. What are we teaching our children? Even if you can remove all these obstacles on a school level, do you think an office is going to change all their lightbulbs for you? Or you'll never ride in a car at night because of the flashing headlights as you drive by? I know I'm obviously a heartless, mean, nasty person, but enough already. And we wonder why everyone is a snowflake with thier own special set of circumstances.

Amen!

 

[C.Ann]

You do realize those are digitally enhanced for your computer, right? They are no where near that bright in person.

It wouldn't matter.. Is the "flickering" in all different directions.. We don't even use twinkle lights on our Christmas tree.. Three generations of migraine sufferers in the same house..

 

[Tinkh]

Usually, I do not weigh in on these arguments. The shoes are very distracting. As a migraine sufferer, they WOULD cause me issues when I am having a day where I am going to have issues. The difference for me is that I can walk away from something that is bothering my eyes. The students do not have that same option.

The other students would be bothered by them and so would the teachers. I am a parent who bought her kid Heelys, but I had enough sense to not let him wear them to school. Would have done the same for the twinkly shoes if ours had wanted them. (Would not have bought them at all for our house because of my migraines just like we do not have blinking lights for our trees or strong pine smells)

My son does have a peanut allergy. His classes and friends have always tried to be peanut friendly for his sake. I do not expect whole schools to accommodate our situation, but when issues have came up I would expect another parent to want to work with me for the health and/or best interest of my kid.

People keep saying that this didn't happen years ago etc. Well of course not. We just keep adding more things to our kid's lives to distract them. If I talked out of turn in school my teachers sent us to the hallway. I can not even imagine what would have happened if I had twinkling shoes to interrupt class. One time I gasped too loud and had an eraser thrown at my head.

 

[PrincessMomto2]

Usually, I do not weigh in on these arguments. The shoes are very distracting. As a migraine sufferer, they WOULD cause me issues when I am having a day where I am going to have issues. The difference for me is that I can walk away from something that is bothering my eyes. The students do not have that same option.

The other students would be bothered by them and so would the teachers. I am a parent who bought her kid Heelys, but I had enough sense to not let him wear them to school. Would have done the same for the twinkly shoes if ours had wanted them. (Would not have bought them at all for our house because of my migraines just like we do not have blinking lights for our trees or strong pine smells)

My son does have a peanut allergy. His classes and friends have always tried to be peanut friendly for his sake. I do not expect whole schools to accommodate our situation, but when issues have came up I would expect another parent to want to work with me for the health and/or best interest of my kid.

People keep saying that this didn't happen years ago etc. Well of course not. We just keep adding more things to our kid's lives to distract them. If I talked out of turn in school my teachers sent us to the hallway. I can not even imagine what would have happened if I had twinkling shoes to interrupt class. One time I gasped too loud and had an eraser thrown at my head.

Well said!

 

[Toad_Passenger]

Usually, I do not weigh in on these arguments. The shoes are very distracting. As a migraine sufferer, they WOULD cause me issues when I am having a day where I am going to have issues. The difference for me is that I can walk away from something that is bothering my eyes. The students do not have that same option.

The other students would be bothered by them and so would the teachers. I am a parent who bought her kid Heelys, but I had enough sense to not let him wear them to school. Would have done the same for the twinkly shoes if ours had wanted them. (Would not have bought them at all for our house because of my migraines just like we do not have blinking lights for our trees or strong pine smells)

My son does have a peanut allergy. His classes and friends have always tried to be peanut friendly for his sake. I do not expect whole schools to accommodate our situation, but when issues have came up I would expect another parent to want to work with me for the health and/or best interest of my kid.

People keep saying that this didn't happen years ago etc. Well of course not. We just keep adding more things to our kid's lives to distract them. If I talked out of turn in school my teachers sent us to the hallway. I can not even imagine what would have happened if I had twinkling shoes to interrupt class. One time I gasped too loud and had an eraser thrown at my head.

Thanks for the chuckle on that one. I had a teacher who once made a kid crawl all the way to the Principal's office. He even put his foot on his back to make sure the kid didn't get up off the floor. He told him, "If you want to act like a worm in my class, you can 'worm' your way to the office." Hard to imagine anyone getting away with that today.

I have agreed, through this whole thread, that the distraction of the shoes is really the crux of the matter.

 

[Jaime4004]

They are either not that bright or my daughter must have gotten a defective pair because you cannot even see hers light up when she is in well lit areas like a school classroom. This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard and my child would wear the shoes until there was a written school rule banning all light shoes for everyone. I would understand if these were some shoes that made crazy bright lights but they don’t and you can really only tell if you are staring down at them.

My DD's must be defective too, because you can barely notice them during the day. In a dark room, I could see where they would be distracting. But really, who stares at other kids shoes?!

 

[Toad_Passenger]

My DD's must be defective too, because you can barely notice them during the day. In a dark room, I could see where they would be distracting. But really, who stares at other kids shoes?!

I was going to say "emo" kids, but then realized they only gaze at their own shoes.

 

[Bearshouse]

As my DD would say holy peanut butter and jelly!!! I had no idea that some actually have lights in them....

These would in fact cause a problem for DS! and Yes it takes forever to get things put into an IEP!!!!! Many schools only have an official meeting once a year.

I had no idea....

Bearshouse

 

[onescgirl]

You do realize those are digitally enhanced for your computer, right? They are no where near that bright in person.

Thank You.


DD is home from school. She does Safety Patrol at school & she said she counted 15 girls wearing Twinkle Toes this morning & stopped counting.
She is the only child in her classroom that had those shoes, so no one else in her class was wearing them.

I think I now have my 1st migraine reading my own thread with some of the nasty comments.

There are plenty of kids last school year & this week wearing them for me not to think anything of buying them.
I wasn't given the reason for distraction and like I just posted, others were still wearing them today.

And, it's not just wanting my daughter to wear her sparkly shoes & upset she can't. It's having to buy another pair of shoes if it's unjustified. Yes, the Twinkle Toes can be her weekend shoes, but I still have to go out & buy another pair of shoes.

 

[PrincessMomto2]

Thank You.


DD is home from school. She does Safety Patrol at school & she said she counted 15 girls wearing Twinkle Toes this morning & stopped counting.
She is the only child in her classroom that had those shoes, so no one else in her class was wearing them.

I think I now have my 1st migraine reading my own thread with some of the nasty comments.

There are plenty of kids last school year & this week wearing them for me not to think anything of buying them.
I wasn't given the reason for distraction and like I just posted, others were still wearing them today.

And, it's not just wanting my daughter to wear her sparkly shoes & upset she can't. It's having to buy another pair of shoes if it's unjustified. Yes, the Twinkle Toes can be her weekend shoes, but I still have to go out & buy another pair of shoes.

Well then you have an argument. I would set up a meeting with the Principal and ask why your child was singled out and why others are still allowed to wear them. That is not fair and I would not be happy about that it should be for everyone and not just one child.

 

[bumbershoot]

You don't notice it in light unless you're looking her feet & see the lights. It's not a strobe light attached to her shoes.

Well, the whole point of those shoes is to get people to look at them. I mean...look at them! They are bright, wild, AND have lights in them. There are tons of kids of all ages at the Y that have them, and I see them lighting up all the time. This is in a building with bright lights. Gymnastics room, the kids' area in the workout room (not the daycare area, but the kids are right there while parents work out) with windows lining the entire wall, walking down the hallways, etc. Those shoes *stand out* and then they also light up brightly.

Sounds like there's a kid in the daughter's class that has a problem. I'd go to payless and buy a boring pair of shoes for school, and let the light-up shoes stay for after-school. It'll increase the lifespan of them anyway...

 

[ccgirl]

Thank You.


DD is home from school. She does Safety Patrol at school & she said she counted 15 girls wearing Twinkle Toes this morning & stopped counting.
She is the only child in her classroom that had those shoes, so no one else in her class was wearing them.

I think I now have my 1st migraine reading my own thread with some of the nasty comments.

There are plenty of kids last school year & this week wearing them for me not to think anything of buying them.
I wasn't given the reason for distraction and like I just posted, others were still wearing them today.

And, it's not just wanting my daughter to wear her sparkly shoes & upset she can't. It's having to buy another pair of shoes if it's unjustified. Yes, the Twinkle Toes can be her weekend shoes, but I still have to go out & buy another pair of shoes.

This leads me to believe it is someone in her class that has the issue with it. Whether it could trigger migraines/seizures whatever. You could call the principal and make an issue out of it. I see that ending with the shoes totally banned. I would just buy the new shoes as frustrating as it may be.

 

[descovy]

Funny, I never for one moment saw this as the OP parenting a snowflake....

These posts are just completely out of line....

OP just spent nearly $50.00 bucks on shoes, and feels that the school might be making an unfounded and unwarranted request..... (which I agree... until there is an official 'accomodation' which is proven warranted by the other child's medical diagnosis, and agreed to by all involved with this students IEP....)

It is more about being out the money, and questioning the schools demands. 'Snowflake' never once, for one single moment, crossed my mind.

I agree... the OP has actually been very level headed about the whole thing. And this is coming from one who finds twinkle toes distracting!!!

It's some of the other comments from other posters that have been over the top! As we can see, this thread has quickly spiraled away from the original thought.

 

[Hannathy]

After what your DD said Mine would have her shoes on tomorrow and I may have to take a stroll past the school in the AM and do my own count so when and if they called later the principal and I would have a little talk.

I went and looked on line at some of them and they are really cute, I know my DD would have had a pair. She loves her shoes!

 

[Scurvy]

Well then you have an argument. I would set up a meeting with the Principal and ask why your child was singled out and why others are still allowed to wear them. That is not fair and I would not be happy about that it should be for everyone and not just one child.

Perhaps the child who is sensitive to the flashing lights in in the same class as the OP's child. Maybe for now they are only asking the children in that class to refrain from wearing the shoes. I've known of schools in the past that banned peanuts and scented products (like cologne) from particular classrooms to begin with but not from the entire school. This could be that sort of thing.

For those who don't understand why anyone is paying attention to the children's shoes - I imagine it's because they have flashing lights on them. I don't notice most shoes but the ones with flashing lights or the ones that squeak certainly do catch my attention. Isn't that what they are designed to do?

 

[tiggger1]

My DD's must be defective too, because you can barely notice them during the day. In a dark room, I could see where they would be distracting. But really, who stares at other kids shoes?!

same here! you can barely see them!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

They aren't allowed in our schools.
No open toe shoes, no backless shoes, no shoes with wheels, no lighted shoes are all listed as a part of the dress code. Along with no shirts with sarcastic sayings, no sleeveless shirts, no shirts that show cleavage, no drooping pants or shorts. No skirts or shorts 8 inches above the knee plus a host of other clothing no-no's.

I'm very glad because that one less thing I don't have to worry about. I would never buy lighted shoes because they would annoy me.

 

[DawnCt1]

After what your DD said Mine would have her shoes on tomorrow and I may have to take a stroll past the school in the AM and do my own count so when and if they called later the principal and I would have a little talk.

I went and looked on line at some of them and they are really cute, I know my DD would have had a pair. She loves her shoes!

For those of you familiar with the Boston/Cambridge area; I remember hearing years ago that for some people with seizure disorders, the light flickering through the trees as one drives down the street can cause seizures. If you knew that a child in your child's class actually suffered from a seizure disorder triggered by flashing lights, would you really send your child to school in flashing shoes? I see this as a more critical issue than sending a child with a peanut butter sandwich. A child with food allergies can avoid the allergen. Flashing lights? Not so much. BTW, they use a strobe light during an EEG to diagnose seizure disorders.

 

[Magpie]

Thank You.


DD is home from school. She does Safety Patrol at school & she said she counted 15 girls wearing Twinkle Toes this morning & stopped counting.
She is the only child in her classroom that had those shoes, so no one else in her class was wearing them.

I think I now have my 1st migraine reading my own thread with some of the nasty comments.

There are plenty of kids last school year & this week wearing them for me not to think anything of buying them.
I wasn't given the reason for distraction and like I just posted, others were still wearing them today.

And, it's not just wanting my daughter to wear her sparkly shoes & upset she can't. It's having to buy another pair of shoes if it's unjustified. Yes, the Twinkle Toes can be her weekend shoes, but I still have to go out & buy another pair of shoes.

It sounds like there's a child or teacher in your daughter's class who is epileptic or otherwise prone to seizures or migraines.

There's a huge difference between being outside in the bright sunlight, where the twinkling isn't so visible, and being indoors in the same room with them, never knowing when they're going to suddenly start flashing.

Certainly, do ask the principal for clarification!