Footwear!

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I always have to wear socks. I can't stand to go barefoot and I always have to have something on my feet and I cannot stand to go barefoot in shoes either so I always wore socks in my sandals. I even wear socks inside my footed sleepwear. I do often wear my socks out because of this.

Again, like everyone else, this seems to be a sensory problem. He probably doesn't like the feeling of something on top of his feet. As a young kid it was much more different. I wanted to wear shoes that were totally black or close to black. I noticed so many kids even in elementary school wearing Nikes/New Balance/Reebok etc that were completely white or close to white, and I hated white shoes, as well as most of the name brands. I still don't pay top dollar for Nike's. I wore whites a couple times (for PE no less) and hated it. I forget which brand, it was either a bigger sized Converse All Star or one of those Champion C-9 ones. Did not like the feeling of that color on my feet.
And I agree, it's not so he can get together with a girl. Too many parents buy Converse, Nike etc. shoes so that their son can impress the girls.

I have been using Mendability for my Dd, it has a lot of sensory exercises. A couple of them are to reduce sensitivity to textures. For example, listening to classical music while rubbing a super soft cloth on the left foot and rubbing a piece of sandpaper on the right foot, then switching. Dipping right foot in cool water and dipping left foot in warm water, then switching. Massaging the feet and toes and calf with scented lotion/oil. I'd also try some balance exercises like jump rope, yoga poses, hopping on one leg, and stretching. I would focus on doing a couple of sensory exercises on a daily basis. Focus on his feet, toes and legs.

I bought shoe inserts for my Dd and myself, they increase the comfort level.

I have a footwear issue myself. I HATE shoes. Obviously I'm old enough, and have "enough functioning," to force myself to wear them...

...but only when absolutely necessary. How necessary?? Well, this morning I ran out barefoot in the snow in single-digit temps to start the car for my husband!

I don't like the way they feel on my feet-- ANY of them. Too-big shoes and sandals are better, but I DON'T LIKE SHOES. I live in socks, but shoes are a trial.

It's the way they feel on my feet. It's the heat. It's the way they affect walking and balance. It's everything about them.

If you can afford to do so, it might be worth dragging to a podiatrist. I know they make inserts that change the pressure on the foot to help correct toe-walking; maybe they can come up with something to make shoes less hellish for him too.

Try some Crocs.

They are funky looking enough that they don't look like normal shoes and they are pretty light weight. Come in lots of colors and relatively cheap (amazon/ebay)

I ordered those sorta-slipper things for him and they arrived today. Unfortunately he was up all night so it was not a very good morning (to put it mildly...) but he did wear them with surprisingly little fight considering how bad the morning was. It's a good sign. The other unexpected good thing about them is that when he takes them and off and throws them, they don't hurt as much when they hit you! I think these are the shoes for him!

There's one that deals with kids where we live, and I visited, and I decided it would be too stressful to go in. Maybe if he ever gets into a more compliant stage I will because I think it's a good idea, but as it is, I know he'd be lying on the floor screaming the whole time, and kicking the poor guy in the face if he went near his feet. I took him shoe shopping once when he was about 3 I think and oh my god, never again (and he was pretty small at 3!). He doesn't like people touching his feet...

YAY! A definite win, at least for right now!