While my 13-year-old daughter and I were watching the movie “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” I laughed, but it was pained, strained laughter. The lead character in the movie is a young woman who, although in debt up to her eyeballs, lands a job as a financial advice columnist. The painful laughter came during the shopping scenes, as the young woman frantically tried to get the remaining credit on her cards to add up to the cost of a scarf she simply had to have, or when her face lit up as she left a store laden with bags. I definitely recognized something familiar about her. I have seen the same acquisitive gleam in my daughter’s eyes.
In addition to the camaraderie found through soccer teams, swim teams, and youth groups, Naperville tweens and teens—particularly girls—have another popular group activity: shopping. If it were a competitive sport, local girls could probably put together a state championship team! Between the delightful charms of our downtown district and the proximity of Fox Valley Mall, shopping fanatics have plenty of lures. When one girl says to another, “Let’s hang out,” it usually translates to, “Let’s spend money.” In fact, hanging out at the mall ranks high on the list of favorite activities for many.
This hanging out can be a relatively harmless activity. The main concern I have is in teaching my daughter moderation and planning. It’s not always easy for a 13-year-old to differentiate between a want and a need. Even at her age, she can be practicing her own level of Naperville financial planning. Different families handle this different ways: maybe with a set clothing allowance or an agreement to split the cost of purchases. My daughter is very reluctant to part with her own money, for which I’m grateful. I’d hate to worry that she was one of those identified by psychologists as “recreational shoppers.” These are people for whom shopping has an inordinate value: it’s used to help achieve happiness. Recreational shoppers tend to be female, with a lack of confidence and self-worth. They frequently utilize shopping as fantasy, while they pretend to be someone else. The many attractive shopping venues around here make Naperville wealth management quite difficult for the recreational shopper.
Just like much of parenting, striving to teach my daughter some frugality will involve persistent effort. If I maintain my vigilance, hopefully her own teen years will not provide the script for “Confessions of a Shopaholic 2”!
In addition to the camaraderie found through soccer teams, swim teams, and youth groups, Naperville tweens and teens—particularly girls—have another popular group activity: shopping. If it were a competitive sport, local girls could probably put together a state championship team! Between the delightful charms of our downtown district and the proximity of Fox Valley Mall, shopping fanatics have plenty of lures. When one girl says to another, “Let’s hang out,” it usually translates to, “Let’s spend money.” In fact, hanging out at the mall ranks high on the list of favorite activities for many.
This hanging out can be a relatively harmless activity. The main concern I have is in teaching my daughter moderation and planning. It’s not always easy for a 13-year-old to differentiate between a want and a need. Even at her age, she can be practicing her own level of Naperville financial planning. Different families handle this different ways: maybe with a set clothing allowance or an agreement to split the cost of purchases. My daughter is very reluctant to part with her own money, for which I’m grateful. I’d hate to worry that she was one of those identified by psychologists as “recreational shoppers.” These are people for whom shopping has an inordinate value: it’s used to help achieve happiness. Recreational shoppers tend to be female, with a lack of confidence and self-worth. They frequently utilize shopping as fantasy, while they pretend to be someone else. The many attractive shopping venues around here make Naperville wealth management quite difficult for the recreational shopper.
Just like much of parenting, striving to teach my daughter some frugality will involve persistent effort. If I maintain my vigilance, hopefully her own teen years will not provide the script for “Confessions of a Shopaholic 2”!
No comments:
Post a Comment
I welcome your comments here :)