I worried that my son would have a meltdown at the mall. A retail employee went above and beyond to help avoid it.

The author's son (not pictured) really wanted the same pair of shoes he had just outgrown.

SbytovaMN/Getty Images

• My 7-year-old son loves shoes with velcro and has been wearing the same pair every day for a year.
• I took him shopping for a new pair, and he said he wanted exactly the same.
• When a store employee told me they didn't make that print anymore, I braced for a meltdown.

My son is a creature of habit. Every time I leave the house, we have to follow the same routine...