Abstaining from judging is no mean feet

It's a typical Urbanbaby argument: If someone asks you to take off your shoes when you enter their home, are they being unreasonable (or ridiculous/stupid/weird)? (FYI, Urbanbaby—UB, for short—is a popular Web site where moms and some dads talk about anything and everything.)

For the most part, the complaints go something like this:

"If someone made me take my shoes off to enter their house for a party, I would leave."

or

"It would be rude to ask ppl at a party to remove their shoes, and i would find in obnoxious."

Alright, then.

The debate's controversial enough to become fodder for a Sex and the City episode, wherein Carrie loses a pair of Manolos because a friend (frenemy?) told her their household was shoe-less and she took her heels off, only to have someone filch them.

I understand the hesitancy, but why the hating? First of all, isn't a household policy at the discretion of the household-er? Maybe they have a crawler in the house and want to keep the floors pristine? Or maybe they're just too lazy/busy to vacuum more than a few times a week? Or maybe they are on some weird power trip. (Hey, it's their home.)

However, it's actually health-smart to have a no-shoe policy, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Shoes track in lead and other toxins, plus allergens, too, so leaving them at the front door cuts down on pollutants in your home.

So the next time someone asks you to de-shoe yourself and you feel the judgements coming on, remember: They could care less about your flaking pedicure.

—CityMom