Is it school or a fashion show?

I especially agree with Ducky's last paragraph. I have tried to teach my kids to look at the value of an item - sometimes paying more is the right way to go, sometimes you are only paying for the name and the quality is no better. My son especially is good at this now! If someone says something to him about a no-name brand of clothing, he can successfully argue and eventually shut-up that person. For example, he will tell them that their shirt is not any thicker than his, the stitching is the same, so why pay more for their shirt? They will usually say theirs is "cooler". He then tells them that he got the shirt and still has $ leftover to get a videogame etc. Marnie
 
I think in college you have to start over, you didn't go to school with the same kids, for a few years or most of your life depending if you moved as a child. This when you enter you can be more you. As you have no idea who is the most popular and there really isn’t a most popular person in college. There is in certain groups but it’s more of a group thing, rather then the whole darn school. There is some pressure from the Greek houses, if you join one, on dressing correctly. But in general, no one cares what you wear in college. I see it every day, even though I'm no longer a real student. I still take classes to keep my certifications up, but I don't do the full time student thing. I look young enough that I get involved with the younger people, just because they think I'm their age. So I hear a lot of stuff. And most of what I've been told as well as what I remember of my first few years of college it's only been 3 years since I finished my last degree (long story). It really is like day and night, high school you are trying to impress everyone and fit in, and so you don't get bullied, and since everyone know you, or in general it’s pretty easy to know who is who, and who is with the in crowd and who isn’t etc, there is just a lot more pressure in that department. And in college, your free, your free from your parents going you can't wear that, you free from peer pressure of what to wear or not wear. So you can really find you, and be you. And have people who like you for who you believe you are. This is what a lot of kids had explained in similar conversation in my humanities class.

I guess since your trying to find what type of career you want and what direction you want your life to go. Then the fashion standard falls to the wayside. And trust me when you walk into the room full of students, some days you really wish you could dress them. Guys who have actually slept in their clothes for more then a day, women who shouldn’t wear the things they do. Or should at least get a bigger mirror to look in. I don’t mind bigger people, don’t get me wrong, but I do generally like to see them in clothes that are right for them. Not a shirt that was turned into a micro t-shirt due to being about 5 sizes too small, and the breasts are hanging out one end, and the stomach the other, and they sit there the whole hour trying to pull at it, as every time they move, more skin comes out.

I lived in the dorm for two years, off campus the rest of the college career, and never heard anyone ever say anything about anyone’s style of dress. Well besides a joke about the professors but I don’t exactly count that. As that is something you don’t walk up and tell a prof. Unless of course you want to really make getting a passing grade hard on yourself.

But personally I am really happy my parents didn't try to buy me the expensive new clothes in high school I still got a few new things, usually what ever we could afford, with having to have one parent take off work drive for 4 hours to the nearest big town then allowed me to go shoping at the mall. My designer second hand clothes always out lasted the new stuff, as the one thing I figured out pretty quickly was that the older clothes were actually made a lot better. To this day, I still have quite a few pairs of jeans in my closet, that I got second hand, that still look brand new, and I've worn them a ton of times. And yes I still can wear those jeans this day. It sure turned me into one heck of a bargin shopper, and I'm super careful with my money today. I still try to always wait for the sales, and find coupons etc before I'm willing to buy it.

Kit
 
I would tell him that I will give him half the money for the shoes, but he'll have to come up with the other half.

I know a lot of parents that do that and it works very well. My daughter is too young for this behavior, but I will definitely employ that strategy when the time comes.

I will, however, buy her nice clothes so that she won't be "looked down" on by the other kids. She won't have TONS of clothes, but I won't buy her cheap stuff. I bought all her clothes for school at The Gap and Hanna Andersson. I might have bought her less expensive pants than The Gap, but they seem to be the only place that I can find slim sizes and they have the nice adjustable waistbands. You get what you pay for...
 
I'd tell him that if he doesn't want to be embarrassed, then he needs to learn the value of a dollar and save up his allowance or cut grass for the rest of the summer to buy his own school clothes...coz he's not going to get another misspent dime out of me!

I'll be damned if I'm going to let my children tell me how to spend the money I earned. They'll get what I can afford to get them. If they want more, then they'll have to buy it themselves.
 
Donna, I am the same way. I buy them nice clothes like at belks, kohl's,old navy sometimes. I can find good deals on some of the fashionable clothes they like. but I know kids that only want it if the price tag says $85-$100. If my son can raise half the money for his shoes then I will chip in. He has made money doing some outdoor housework and yard work this summer. Although he spent all of it on vacation. Thank god they still wear summer clothing when school starts, so stuff is on clearance.


kim
 
>Have you experienced the same thing and how did you handle it?
Thanks for any advice!kim >


My parent's "handled it" by sending me to a private Catholic School -- where we all wore uniforms. ;) And although I may not have been so thankful at the time (Nuns can have their moments...LOL), I am very happy they did that now, for many reasons. It takes a lot of the pressure off. Parents save money, and it sure was EASY to decide "what to wear to school". :p
 
My daughers friend across the street goes to a private school where she has to wear uniforms. Oh how I wish that every school required to wear uniforms. I can't understand why they haven't made that mandatory. They complain about what the kids wear, just have them wear the same thing!


kim
 
I may be in the minority, but I totally disagree with making kids wear uniforms to school. I think clothing is an excellent way for kids to express themselves. There is a dress code at our school and I had a dress code when I was in school. Even though I do buy trendy clothes for my kids, I did not have trendy clothes until I started working as my parents could not afford them. I always looked nice and never had problems with the "rich kids" in school. I agree that you should only pay for what you can afford which is what I do. I am happy to say that I can afford to buy my kids some trendy clothes. That has not always been the case. I can remember a time when I had to buy their shoes on sale at Payless Shoe Store. My kids both work and do buy everything else they need or want, but I do buy their clothes because I enjoy it.
 
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