Back to School Clothes Shopping

Back to school clothes shopping grew into a tradition out of necessity, but it seems that over the last decade it's grown into just another way to force parents into spending money they don't really have. Ever year at the end of summer stores hold back to school sales and some states even suspend sales taxes for a "back to school" weekend. Children and teens show up on the first day of school in the newest, trendiest clothes and
God help anyone who shows up in last year's fashions.

Originally, back to school shopping had a purpose. Most schools had a strict dress code, if not uniforms, for students. The logical time to buy these clothes was right before school started, as most children had grown out of the clothes purchased the year before. However, in families with more than one sibling the only child to actually get new clothes was the oldest. The younger children had to be satisfied with hand me downs. It wasn't such a big deal as these clothes were only worn at school and nowhere else, so they suffered minimal wear and tear.

Now back to school shopping is more of a status symbol; a sort of social one-upmanship that singles kids out if their family can't afford the latest and greatest. While I've always taken my daughter shopping before the new school year, I've never gone over the top and spent hundreds on her clothes. For one thing, we could never afford that all at once. For another, children grow; it's a natural fact. Why should I spend hard-earned money on brand name expensive clothes when she will only be able to wear them for a matter of months? It just never made sense for us.

This year the timing was exceptionally bad. Things are tight right now and we simply couldn't spare any money for shopping. Yet we are blessed because we have each other, food on the table, a roof over our heads, and general good health. Yes, we have it a lot better than most people. However a teenager doesn't think like that and when I made my no-shopping pronouncement it was as if I had announced we were going to live at the shelter. While I understand her teenage anguish, I quickly overcame my guilt. Why should I have to buy her clothes right now, just because it's the "done" thing? She's got plenty of clothes that fit her well, look brand new, and are good quality. Why must I dump a load of money just because it's a certain time of year? The answer is, I shouldn't, especially if I can't afford it.

It's great to be able to buy your kids anything they want or need. However we shouldn't feel like failures if we can't satisfy all of their materialistic impulses. In fact, we should feel good that they are learning that "things" aren't what matter in life in the long run. What matters right now is that they have the opportunity to go to school, to learn and live in a healthy and loving environment, and they have the freedom to make certain choices in this world. That's more than a lot of people can say, in this country and all over the world. Let's not be held hostage by a materialistic mindset that dictates to our children what parents should buy at certain times of year. We're the parents, we make the rules.