Figure 1.--This is a father and son in rural Kansas. The father is taken his son on a motobike ride. The boy has chosen to come along barefoot. He looks to be enjoying the ride.

Going barefoot once so common in America is no longer very common. Many places outside the home ban barefeet including schools. Most public facilities includeing libraries, museums, theaers, stores, and other facikities require footwear. A rare exceoption is beach areas. Even summer camps have the chidren wear shoes or sandals. And children generally prefer shoes (especially sneakers) and sandals. Sandals are much more common than ever before, but going brefoot i much less common. We tend to see girls going barefoot more than boys. We are not sure why, but may reflect the more active life style of boys. We do see younger children going barefoot, but mostly at home or arund home. Outside the home, this is probably mist commion in surburbia where families have inviting grass lawns where younger chikldren enjoy playing. Going barefoot is probably also still more common in rural areas. While going barefoot is no longer very common, some Americans as well as people in other countries, enjoy going barefoot as a life style choice seeung as away to get closer to nature. One source explains, "Going barefoot is the gentlest way of walking and can symbolise a way of living — being authentic, vulnerable, sensitive to our surroundings. It’s the feeling of enjoying warm sand beneath our toes, or carefully making our way over sharp rocks in the darkness. It’s a way of living that has the lightest impact, removing the barrier between us and nature.”