Teaching
Your Pre-Teen The Value Of Money
So your pre-teen wants all the latest trendy stuff? Designer clothes,
trainers, mobiles - it costs a fortune!
His
friends get everything they want so he'd better have it all too. Really?
Are you a bad parent for making him go without? Or are you a bad parent
for giving him everything? It's one of today's trickiest parenting issues.
Understand
his 'wants'
Pre-teens are afraid of sticking out and looking different. Unfortunately,
some of their fears are justified. Labels or clothing are a sign of belonging
to the peer group and 'outsiders' are sometimes picked on or even bullied.
This is a dilemma for parents who want their children to belong but don't
have the money for expensive clothes. Other parents may object on principle
to the materialist culture of the playground.
The
price of everything and the value of nothing
Harness his desire to be treated like an intelligent adult and have a
grown-up conversation about issues surrounding designer goods. What makes
them seem so cool? Discuss peer pressure and the feeling of 'belonging'
that a 'uniform' provides. Talk about consumerism. How does he feel about
being a billboard for a company's product? Does he think children are
being 'used'? How does the price of something relate to its value? Is
individuality being lost? Remind him that it's who you are that counts,
not what you wear. The danger here is that you will fall into preaching,
so watch out, and listen more than you speak.
Family fortunes
Children seem to believe parents have
a limitless bank account and sometimes need a gentle reminder about the
financial facts of life. You don't have to go into details - just explain
that your budget isn't elastic and that you work hard for the money you
earn. Talk about the things you or your son could buy with the extra money
required for designer products. He may be quite shocked when he thinks
about how much more expensive a designer label is.
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