Going Shopping With Your Teenager
Shopping when you have a teenager, especially an opinionated one with you, can be a difficult thing. As an adult, you’ve got plenty more patience than they do, and you’ve got items that need buying and you’re not leaving town before you get them! And when a teenager is along for the ride, it can be hard to keep them interested without them complaining that their feet are hurting; all in all, you can both go home annoyed and missing out on the bonding session you could have had!
Teenagers have a hard time keeping themselves focused on one activity and one activity alone, so if you’re sick of seeing your child pull out their phone at every opportunity, let’s do something about it. So now’s the time to refine your strategy a little, and get your teenager a little more interested in outgoing tasks like these. And hey, when they have a little pocket money to help smooth the way, things start looking up!
Don’t Be Invasive
Sometimes, the reason shopping with your teenager is so difficult is all to do with control. Teenagers are still very much children, and that’s often something they don’t want to think about, and something you’re all too aware of. But when you’re trying to prepare them for life tasks like being able to take care of themselves, you’re going to need to afford them a little more responsibility of their own.
Let them do the weekly shop for you. Even if you’re in the store with them, give them the list and the cart whilst you browse the media aisles until they come back to you. If you’re clothes shopping, don’t try and bustle into the changing room with them either. Let them flex their wings and step back a little.
Shop Online Together
If you’re someone who can’t stand having to go clothes shopping with a teenager, why not completely cut out the need and start shopping online? It’s something a lot of parents don’t give a chance, so don’t make the same mistake here; it’s a format your teenager is going to be comfortable and familiar with, and they can even show you the ropes and get annoyed if you don’t understand (wouldn’t that be a nice role reversal?)!
If you need some recommendations: sites like John Henric are great for cultivating a wardrobe for someone who is rapidly becoming an adult and wants to get a headstart on the fashion circle. And hey, being able to sit down together from the comfort of your own sofa and go through clothing options can really help soothe any bad shopping experiences that stick out in both your minds!
If you’re due to go shopping with your teenager sometime soon, why not keep these ideas in mind to make the experience a little smoother? Of course it’s not always a fight, but if you feel the atmosphere getting tense, these could really help you out.