How to Take a Teen Shopping

Video Transcript

DR. F. FELICIA FERRARA: Hello. I'm Dr. Felicia, the parent coach, and I'd like to talk to you today about the topic of taking a teen shopping. That's one of the curses of every family, taking your teenager shopping. There's nothing that pleases them and very little that pleases you. However, we can find a happy medium. There are a few prerequisites that we have before you go shopping. For instance, you really want to designate how much money is going to be spent that day. Your child may want six different items but perhaps you're designating X amount of dollars. Let's say $20; or in this day and age, let's say $80 for the day. You're going to have to teach your child to budget. Out of those six items they want, they're going to have to pick the one they want most, priority. Because when that $80 is gone, they're not going to get anything else, so you have to make them accountable and responsible for that. Now you can do this. Many families go together but there are very few teenagers that want to be caught dead in a shopping mall with their parents, so your chances are your teenagers are going to go on their own. What you want to do is set ahead the styles that you expect from them because their choices might be too revealing. They may be too tight. They may be too fitted, or they may just be not your style at all. They may be too buggy and may be you have a tomboyish kind of person where you don't like what they choose at all. Remember, whose money is it? Set your priorities. If it's your money and you're giving him the $80 to go out and spend that day, then make sure that they know exactly what they need. If for instance school is starting and they need gym clothes, then that's what you want that $80 designated for. You better make that very clear before you even start out on a trip. Okay? One thing you can do if you are going to go with your teenager is you can be in the same mall but let them shop on their own and then meet back at the food store, and then you could go back and see the clothes that they picked out and then give final approval. That's a nice way to let them have a choice, but then you help them make the right decision in the end. Now remember, this is very difficult time for the teens. They're painfully self-conscious, so they're criticizing themselves far more than you can so try to be patient and by all means set your guidelines before you start your shopping trip. Happy shopping and good luck.