I love the shoe man at the mall. He helps me find shoes for Caleb who is 11 years old and a size 7 shoe. That may not sound like a big deal, but it really is.

Size 7 is in the mens section which means my little guy with his narrow feet has to try to find a shoe that will stay on his feet. He plays sports and needs a good fit, and he's in that pre teen age where he wants to look cool too.

When Caleb first jumped from 6 1/2 which is a kid shoe to 7, I thought we were going to have to buy him a ladies shoe. He was mortified at the thought.

The shoe man came to the rescue. He tried out every shoe in the store in 7 with Caleb. He talked to him about why some of the shoes would not work well--too wide and would rub up and down and so on.

Then the shoe man called another store and had New Balance 308 sent in the next day. We went back. Caleb tried the shoe. And we were set.

It is actually a uni sex shoe in that it is for men or women depending on the size. So, it was OK with Caleb since "men" was written on his box.

This is the slimmest made shoe for men that I have found. New Balance offers more options as far as how wide the shoe is which was our biggest concern.

New Balance started out in 1906 as a specialty shoe company making custom shoes. Athletes began to go to the store to find shoes that fit good. The company began to make sports shoes with more sizes to meet the demand for shoes that fit.

In fact, I bougtht New Balance this last time to get a long narrow 9 shoe and Eli (my younger son) got a regular width in a kid shoe. My Grandma had her leg amputated and the doctor sent her to get New Balance in wide for her good foot. So, New Balance fit a wide range of needs in our family.

The material on Caleb's 308 is a nylon which breathes. That means that when it rains the water does not soak in easily. And when his feet sweat, we do not have smelly socks. I wash the socks, so I'm glad about that.

The sides are sturdy so that Caleb does not turn his ankle. He has slim ankles too. Plus young boys are not always that coordinated. A high top would give more support, but those are too bulky right now. This is a good low top for support.

The heel has cushion. It is an advanced design with hard around the edge for stability (and no ankle turns) and cushiony in the middle to absorb shock.

The weight is around 13 ounces which is a little heavy for a little guy but not bad. Caleb says that he can run fast in the shoes and he runs a lot.

As far as how the shoe looks which is a big deal with Caleb, he is very happy with these shoes. His friends all like New Balance and think he has neat shoes. The gray and black look nice with his sports clothes and also look fine with jeans for school.

The darker colors do not get as grungy looking as white tennis shoes which is a plus too.

The only problem I have with New Balance would be the strings. They are the round type that come untied easy especially for kids. When Caleb walks on the strings, then they fray up. He got a knot which catches when we tie them now.

Boy feet grow fast, so I am sure we will need to go back to the mall soon. I think I'll call ahead and see if the shoe man will get the next size up. This is a good shoe especially for hard-to-fit feet.



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