Edmund is about to turn 5 years old.
When you meet him, the first thing you may notice is how he’s usually dressed up in full cowboy duds from head to toe. Even in Texas’ relentless summer heat, Edmund carries his cowboy gear with him everywhere – his stick horse and rope – and he wears his vest, chaps, hat and, of course, boots.
Edmund’s mom, Kathleen Hattaway, says Edmund struggles explaining his boot obsession.
“I asked him! I said, ‘Why do you like wearing boots?’ His response? ‘I don’t like wearing boots!'” he told Hattaway. “’I just have to wear them to be a firefighter, a knight, a cowboy!’”
He sees wearing the boots as more of an obligation: “He has to wear boots!” his mom said.
His police officer father could be an influence. He used to be part of Austin Police Department’s motorcycle unit, and he wore boots on the job.
“My husband … has these gorgeous, leather, knee-high boots that they wear to ride the motorcycles,” Hattaway said. “And he dresses up in uniform and has his boots; [maybe] that’s kind of a connection for [Edmund] as well.”
Another influence could be his grandmother, Carol Weber, who owns a boot resale business.
Maybe Edmund loves his boots simply because he’s growing up in Texas. The cowboy boot is the official state footwear, after all.
Whatever his reasoning, his mom supports his obsession.
“It’s fun and I try to encourage it,” she said.
His outfits even make it easier for her to keep a close eye on him at the park.
“What’s funny is the outfit helps me find him!” she said.
