Madeline is the kind of kid who will try to drop subtle hints or comments to test the waters. About a month or two ago she came home and made some comments about Uggs. You know the ugly overpriced boots. They look like something I would not want to be caught in dead or alive. She started out by telling me she didn't like them and thought they were uncomfortable after trying on a friend's pair. At that time I told her it was good because she wasn't getting a pair. She seemed content with that ruling.
Fast forward to this week. While helping me with VBS prep, she mentioned that she wanted a pair of boots. Black leather boots to be precise. I'm not a fan of boots to be perfectly honest. I think of Napoleon Dynamite and his styling astronaut snow boots when I think of people wearing boots in non-snowy conditions. I put it in the same category as people who wear socks and sandals at the same time (a HUGE faux pas in my book). I decided I could give in and say that we could look into buying boots for school this fall. Then she started in on her "I want Uggs" campaign.
Madeline apparently is unaware that I wrote the book on being a cheapskate. She appears to have also missed the fact that I'm totally unimpressed by fads and buying things just because other people are. Personally, I think buying a pair of $110 dollar shoes for a kid who will outgrow them within a year is beyond absurd. Are these magical shoes? Will they make her responsible? Will they make her remember to bring her homework home? Will they make her uber popular like she thinks they will? The answer to each of these questions is NO. They're a pair of overpriced, ugly shoes. They're not magical and they won't last for more than a few months. They do however have the ability to irritate me as I listen to Madeline pester me to purchase them. That is not a good quality if you ask me.
Clearly sensing that I wasn't going to say yes, Madeline also decided to lobby my parents to buy them for her birthday. I suppose she doesn't realize that I have no problem telling them not to buy something so impractical for her. She probably also doesn't realize that my mom and dad are highly unlikely to buy something so pricey that will only get used for a short time. She did try to reason with my mom that buying the shoes too big would work because then she'd grow into them. She and I both pointed out that she'd wind up with blisters and would be tripping over her feet.
I honestly didn't expect to have to deal with this insanity until she was a little older. The kid hasn't even set foot in the middle school and already she's acting like a shallow consumer driven tween. Guess she's going to have to come to terms with wearing practical shoes that don't cost an absurd amount of money.
those middle school years are tough as I'm sure you will remember. I remember my much grounded niece having issues because in gym class she was in the sensible white undies/bra and all the other classmates were in the multicolored ones. Seventh grade was also the year son rebelled against glasses and wanted contacts (gave in on that one since you want him to be able to see the board and not come home with headaches every day because he refused to wear glasses).
ReplyDeleteIts a tough call on some of these things. You want them not to be driven to be like everyone lese and succumb to fads, but at the same time you don't want them to be picked on for being the "odd" person out.
I too don't get the fad of boots; they wear them here a lot with shorts. what is up with that?
good luck; the most interesting years are ahead of you; hang on and enjoy the adventure!
betty
i completely agree with all points on this post! last year, however, i had to cave and get a pair as my pregnancy would not allow me to wear ANY other boots. i know, it sounds crazy, but it's true. it DID help that i got them from the nordstrom rack, and only paid $40 bucks for them. they ARE sooooo ugly, but during my desperate prego days and what that pregnancy did to my back....i caved. they now sit lonely in my closet, and MIGHT be worn INDOORS as slippers only from here on out :)
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