Tips for Shopping with Teens!

I'll be the first to admit that it is not always easy shopping for/with teenagers.  Having not one, but three teens in the house, I have plenty of first-hand knowledge about the evils, oops, I meant challenges, of shopping for them and since I do have a little experience on the subject, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite tips for shopping with teens, with all of you!

First and foremost, feed them before you go shopping!  I know that this seems like it should be just common sense, but you'd be surprised how many times I've told myself, "We'll just eat after shopping, it will be fine."...it was NOT fine, they are mean and nasty and even harder to deal with than normal.  So feed them at all costs!

Second, let them shop at the stores they want to shop at!  My girls love rue21, it's one of their favorite places to shop and when we can't make it into the store, we can just shop online (we just placed an order at the end of the month).  Letting them shop at the stores they want to shop at, ensures an easy, almost drama-free (and if you have teens then you know that there's no such thing as 100% drama-free shopping) shopping experience! 

Do not try to talk them out of buying the latest fashions.  I don't care if the idea of high waisted denim shorts makes you want to bang your head against the wall, it doesn't matter if you'd never be caught dead in a high low skirt, let them decide what their style is and let them rock it!  Trust me, if you give them the freedom to express their personality and individuality in their clothes, they'll thank you for it, it may be later (much, much later) but they will!

Set expectations regarding budget!  If there's anything I've learned over the years when it comes to taking my kids shopping, it's that they need to know that there is a budget before you even step into the store!  If a budget is never discussed, your child will start throwing everything from the "oh my goodness that shirt cost how much" section of the store into your cart (buggy) and then throw a level 5 temper tantrum (especially the teenage girls) when you tell them no.  If you set real expectations up front about how much they can and cannot spend, it will make the shopping experience a whole lot less stressful on both of you!

Last but not least, have fun!  I don't know about you, but I cherish any time that I have with my kids where we can just hang out and have fun and clothes shopping can definitely be one of those times!  Don't let the thought of shopping with your teenager(s) be negative, go into the experience with a positive attitude and you'll be surprised at how much fun you have!