Do you really believe a bratty spoiled teen would ignore her own thirst before she drank from a trashy bottle? Don’t be dense. This is a poor bargaining tactic by a kid used to getting her way. |
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A MoCo MS has plenty of kids. I assure you not everyone including the girls had a Stanley cup. Unless she’s buying the cup herself she drinks from whatever you are willing to buy.
This is the first of many such arguments/reminders from you. |
Why would you write her name on it with a Sharpie? That screams elementary school and would be worse than not having one at all. Plus, we all recognize it is a trend/fad so having your name written on it would look sloppy as hell. I mean...c'mon. |
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Question for those parents whose kids are really wrapped up in brand name stuff: when did it start, and was it sudden? I never ever cared about brand names/“cool” stuff, and so far my kids don’t either (oldest is 14). So I’m wondering what to expect/when.
I assume that parents aren’t raising their kids to think this stuff matters, so is it all social media? |
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I thought of this thread when my 4th grader asked for a Lululemon belt bag, because a few of her friends had them (I have a knockoff because I though $40 for a fanny pack was ridiculous).
I ended up giving her three options 1) she could buy it with her own money 2) she could buy a knockoff for a third the price with her own money 3) she could wait and get it as a gift (I didn’t say when). Shockingly she picked the first one - I’m actually dreading the next 5-8 years as she’s a tween/teen in a relatively affluent area. Some/most of the stuff we can afford, but I struggle with getting a name-brand item that isn’t worth the extra cost. But that’s a realization she needs to come to herself, and the most I can do is provide some guide rails. I remember desperately wanting a Liz Claiborne (yes, I’m old and my knees hurt) purse when I was in middle school. I didn’t get enough allowance to buy one myself, but I got one for Christmas. I was ecstatic. And then a few years later I got another one for Christmas - and this time I returned it and used the $$ to buy a less expensive purse and something else. Because to me, the $$ wasn’t worth the “status” (back then trends lasted longer!). But I would have never gotten there had I been just given one or told absolutely not when I asked. |
I wrote it very small by the bottom b/c she had already lost it and luckily found in the lost and found a few times. Oh well. I know no other kid would want it with the name on it. If she wasn't so careless and forgetting it everywhere I wouldn't have needed to. |
I posted about the Lululemon bag. I was surprised, but not shocked, when my 4th grader noticed it. She’s asked for general things like a certain style of hoodies or shoes, but never a particular name brand. It could be social media, but I remember wanting particular branded items in middle school well before social media. It also happened when we moved to a different part of the country that had more conspicuous consumption and wealth. My guess is that certain more wealthy areas have always been like this, but social media has made it more pervasive and it’s starting younger and younger (4th/5th grade, rather than 8th grade). Some kids care, others don’t. I don’t know what the difference is. I did for a while at that age, but I don’t think my sister ever did. Same parents, same schools, different personalities. |
This is not just a thing for the wealthy. I went to a solidly middle class jr high and elem school and specifically remember wanting white Keds, Guess jeans, Esprit clothes, and other 80s classics. This has always been a thing for kids. Conformity is the name of the game. By high school I think kids care less about being the same and more about expressing their individuality. |
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Who cares?!!
In the 70s and 80s none of us drank water in school. People didn’t carry around personal water bottles. We were healthier and skinnier back then too. |
My high school sons don’t bring water bottles to school. |
My 14DD doesn’t bring a water bottle at all either. |
News today says the Stanley’s have lead in them. |
Fake news. All mainstream metal water bottles have lead in them. It meets the industry standard and its not the part you drink from. Do more research instead of believing every clickbait headline you see. |
+1. Just buy the Stanley. |
I absolutely believe this. |