The evolution of parenting

I don't know many parents who do not have the best interest of their children at heart. While "best interests" may vary greatly from my own interpretation, I believe all parents are inherently good, or have the potential to be.

I'm noticing a new trend with my soon to be teen childrens friends parents, and I just don't get it. It seems as suddenly the priority has shifted and "what's best" is turning into "What is best for their social status"

I think it is totally absurd for a family who struggles to pay their bills to spend $100 of the hottest sneaks (which, BTW-me using the term sneaks surely makes me the most uncool parent of a preteen out there!), and to spend $20 on a T-shirt from a mall store, when big box retailers have trendy shirts of similar style for $5.

I'm not going to say I don't feel the desire from my own children to have things. They certainly do. They also know that if they want an expensive item that we would normally buy a less pricey version of, they are welcome to save up for it and spend their own gift monies on it!

There seems to be a new pressure for parents going into the teen parenthood to make their kid more popular. Many parents seem to think that their childs world could very well come to an end if they do not buy them these things. The sad thing is that many of them don't appreciate that which they have, and do not understand the basics of economy, which they should by Middle School!

I see these parents bending the rules, and breaking the bank all in the name of wanting their child to be the popular one...or is that really it? Maybe it's that the parent is living vicariously through the child and it's being the parent of the popular child that they really desire.

I find myself looking into the future and seeing a rough road ahead for these kids. The sense of entitlement is disturbing, and I find it more and more difficult for me to relate to these parents.

I think it's really okay to tell your child NO, or to compromise with them at any age. Of course, I think it's okay to buy your child a brand name label here and there. I wait until I can get that $25 Nike Tee on clearance for $7. It's not in our budget for all the Tshirts to be name brand, but of course if I find one at a reasonable price I think it's a good compromise. I just don't see how people justify the entire wardrobe being so pricey.

Well...believe it or not, this was supposed to be about a lot of things, but not clothing. I'm not sure how this blog took that road, but there it is.

My point was that some parents are trying to hard to make their kid the uber cool classmate and it's just really embarassing to watch these parents try so hard to make their kid the one everyone wants to be friends with.