Back to School Shopping
Posted on August 18th, 2011There is nothing more horrifying than back to school shopping with a teenager. Oh, fine. Maybe an alien invasion is slightly more horrifying. And possibly the shenanigans going on with the economy are just a bit more horrifying. But back to school shopping with a teenager is definitely on the top 10 list.
Trust me. I speak from experience. I have a teenager and I have gone back to school shopping with him. And I have lived to tell my tale.
The first problem I have with back to school shopping is that I have a male teenager. The males of the teenage species are not well known for their sense of fashion. Pretty much if the t-shirt still fits and the pizza stains aren
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August 18th, 2011 at 5:26 pm
[...] the article: Manic Motherhood
August 18th, 2011 at 7:07 pm
Mothers of teenage boys, I share your pain! I have all boys 17-year-old, a 15-year-old, and a 3-year-old. I took the two teens out back-to-school shopping, and bought their school supplies at a big-name office supply store. Two words: “graphing calculator”. And at a bargain of $129.00 each. Correct me if I’m wrong, but as products of the late 80’s/early 90’s high schools, didn’t we just use something calling “graphing PAPER”?? Not to mention I might have embarassed them by hyperventalating in front of the display of these oh-so-necessary items. The clerk at the check-out counter asked if I wanted insurance on the calculators. I briefly glanced at each boy, and said “Of course I do!” After all, insurance is the only way I can make sure nothing will happen to the calculators. Without insurance, they wouldn’t last a week. With insurance, they have a good chance of surviving at least through high school… maybe. Can’t wait to see what the 3-year-old is going to need for high school in the non-so-distant future.
August 18th, 2011 at 7:16 pm
LOVE IT LOVE IT! Laurie – your blogs are getting better and better as my son gets older. Mind you again – he is only 12 BUT we went school shopping for his uniform pants last weekend (his public school just implimented them). I took him to Old Navy and he tried on a few pairs. Each time he would come out and show them to me and I’d say “Nice! What do you think?” He’d stare at me all annoyed and say very flat “There Khaki” and I would say “Yeah but is there anything you dont like besides that? Maybe the hem or the length or the pockets?” and he would say “They fit and they are Khaki”. Beating my head against a wall already.
August 18th, 2011 at 11:27 pm
Hi Laurie, I LOVE your blog. I too have a 15 year old boy and no one tells you when they’re born that they just get more expensive as they get older! I’m about to take him shopping for school clothes and we can’t go to Khol’s anymore (sigh…I love that store). Now it has to be Tilly’s or some over priced mall store that has the surf or skate t-shirts he likes. I’m totally dreading it. That and he wears a men’s size 13 shoe, so that’s an adventure in itself! Anyway, thanks for this blog, it really helps to know that I’m not alone!
August 19th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
Love the blog!! You gals can complain all you want about shopping with a boy. What I would give to go back to those days. My son oldest was easy take him to Old Navy he would try on a pair of pants buy them and we were done.
Now my 18 year old DAUGHTER, talk about scarey, my debit card actually starts shaking in my wallet when she is with me in a mall. She is tiny and an athlete. Everything she puts on looks wonderful. But yet she has to go to every store and try on a million pair of jeans that all look the same and nothing looks good. Only when we walk into Nordstrom does anything look good on her. The stuff looks exactly the same it just has a bigger price tag. Now that she is off to college I am glad there is no Nordstrom anywhere near her!!!!
She is now on a budget. I could care less how much she spends on one pair of jeans, when the money is gone it is gone. She will learn. Or she will call her grandparents and they will send her some money, either way I am out of the loop.
August 19th, 2011 at 6:37 pm
@Jennifer (1), First, let me say thank you for taking one for the tam by having three boys. Many of us (and by that I mean ME) could handle one. I cannot believe a graphing calculator costs $129! I hope Junior doesn’t need one, I blew the budget on his must-have shoes
He doesn’t get school lists until Monday – which is so convenient cuz that’s when school starts and in a small town, everything was sold out last week.
@Jennifer (2) I feel your pain – and know this, khakis are the most stainable pants on the planet. I swear they have little high-tech doo hickey’s in the fabric that attracts dirt. Junior had khakis once. Of course, your son may not use his pants as a napkin, so you could be fine
@Jana, IKR? I love Kohls. I had a 30% coupon for Kohls. But no, we had to go to Tilleys. I hate Tilleys. I also feel like the other moms are cooler than me…because, you know, they are. And of course, some of the clothes I won’t allow, so there’s always an argument in Tilleys (he can’t wear shirts with guns on them to school, kind of a reasonable expectation in my eyes, but not to him).
@Liz, ok, so is now the time I tell you that I was your daughter (well, not really, but you get my point). I had 27 pairs of jeans in high school. And? I wore a uniform to school. Yeah. My part time McD’s gig went solely to blue jeans and gas money. Oh, and I don’t want to scare you…but the Nordstroms online store is really awesome. And available anywhere. Shhhh. I won’t tell your daughter.
August 29th, 2011 at 9:29 am
Try having a girl. OMG…school clothes shopping costs more than our mortgage.
September 3rd, 2011 at 5:19 am
HAHAha
For all u moms.. I must be the exception…now almost 30…I can say I drove my mom nuts by wearing my clothing till they seriously looked like the moths had a party in my closet. My sister on the other hand…sigh a grad student.. who apparently after being bitten by the deisgner bug has y’all beat! If it wasn’t for me working in Paris and having designer sales connections….my parents would hafta remortgage their house!…lol
September 7th, 2011 at 1:05 am
@et, Can I be your sister? I’m not a fancy dresser, but Paris fashions? to die for