Mismatched socks

On the first Friday of February, Italy celebrated a funny and meaningful holiday. Mostly intended for children, the day of mismatched socks highlights the beauty of differences and celebrates acceptance of others. With much tenderness in my heart, I write these lines because for the first time this holiday involves me as a mother, so forgive any smudges of emotion. It was 2013 when a support teacher at the primary school of a small town in Friuli started wearing two different socks, very colorful and fun, to tell her children that diversity is a value and acceptance of others is a wealth. Socks are always socks, even if they are different, in fact: different is beautiful, it is interesting, it is enriching. Over time, many have joined this fun "practice", immediate and economical, which has spread from schools of all levels, to hospital corridors and the social world. Thanks to this last step, the intuition of a teacher has become a national day, already in its twelfth edition, and has also infected adults, fashion, street wear and all social media. For the youngest children, like my Anna, putting on two different socks was a nice game but it is precisely the game that becomes a vehicle for complex concepts such as inclusion and respect. And it is never too early to start sowing good practices…


Elisa d'Adamo
NP March 2025