They are not waterproof. I had high hopes for this shoe but it didn't live up to expectations. DOES NOT retain water. In two different descriptions, SR describes this shoe as waterproof and I can confirm that this is not the case. When my son first wore them I kept thinking it was a great design, perfect for an active kid who could wear it instead of his clunky mud boots on a slightly rainy day at the playground. But when we took the shoes off, they were wet on the inside, right at the seams…