Over dinner one night, I met up with my cousin Ian, who'd just come back from trekking in Nepal. He showed me several rolls of great photos and then taught me a foolproof way to tie shoes; one that precludes the need for double knots forever. He said he'd used it every day on his hiking boots, and they never came undone.

He taught me this simple trick and I've used it ever since. My shoelaces and my kids' shoelaces, which were always a source of accidents and annoyance, never come untied. I've taught this technique to every parent I know, and they all adopt it immediately. And now you can, too.

So here's the Foolproof Tibetan Trekking Technique for Tying Kids' Shoelaces. If you follow these steps carefully, you'll end up with a knot that will never untie itself, yet even a toddler can undo it with a single pull.

For best results, read through these instructions at least once before trying them yourself.