Holidays are over, many good sales are happening and our many teens have those gift cards that are burning a hole in their pockets!
As spring approaches, you know that you will soon have to reassess your kids' wardrobes and make sure they have everything they need to head into the new season.
If you have a teen girl, however, “updating” her wardrobe can become quite a complicated feat. With body issues, peer pressure, and cries from the dressing room, a fun day out shopping with your daughter can easily turn into a nightmare.
As you plan your next shopping trip, however, keep these tips in mind, and you may not only have a great time together, but knock out that spring shopping list in one fell swoop.
1. Allow for an Entire day: If your teen girl is anything like mine, not only will you be spending at least an hour in each store, you will be going to as many different stores as you have dollars in your bank account. This means that, in order to have a relaxed and fun trip, you need to slot at least a half day in order to really get some shopping done without driving each other crazy.
2. Let Her Pick the Shops: This is one of the smartest things to do if you decide to plan the trip together. Ask her which stores she would like to go to, and make sure to head to those first. If she loves a perfect item, go ahead and buy it. The rest you can put on hold and see if you run across something better or less expensive as the day goes on.
3. Make a Budget: You don't necessarily need to tell your daughter exactly how much you are planning on spending or sit her down for a talk about finances and a few practice problems in order to go shopping. But you will need to know for yourself exactly how much you can spend on clothing for her, and stick to that budget. To make things easier, try a price limit for each store, or a cap on the amount she can spend on shoes or bags.
4. Take the Focus Off Body Image: Every woman can look back and remember how it feels to be a teenage girl. And most of us are extremely happy not to have to deal with that feeling anymore. Remember this all day as you shop with your teen, and try to focus on things other than the way she looks. Instead, suggest she pay attention to how she feels in the clothes she tries on.
5. Be Clear About Clothes in the “No” Category: Every parent is different about what they will not allow their teens to wear. Make sure you and any other parents are clear about what is acceptable and what is not. Make sure your teen is aware of this, as well. And don't budge on it.
6. Splurge Once in a While: Even though the last thing we want to teach our kids are to focus on material goods, we all remember the feeling of being the only girl in school without the (fill in appropriate article of clothing here). Once in awhile, you have to give in to teen fashion whims and peer pressure, despite all of your knowledge to the contrary. If you can afford it, let her have the shoes that everyone else is wearing.
7. Get Things That Can Be Returned: Okay, so maybe you were feeling extra generous and you let your teen buy the expensive shoes that everyone else is wearing. Now, ask her to wait a week before she wears them to make sure she still wants to keep them. If the fad changes that quickly, you will be glad you held on to that receipt.
By-line: This guest post is contributed by Angelita Williams, who writes on the topics of online courses. She welcomes your comments at her email : angelita.williams7 @gmail.com.
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