Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
For every day wear..my kids wore inexpensive clothing...but always coordinated which made some think the clothing was more expensive than the clothing was. Teachers always commented on how good the kids look and it wasn't expensive at all. Laundry habits and ironing keep them in very good shape.
For family pictures, church, special events...yes, my kids wore expensive clothing and those were usually ordered from a particular store in the NE. Sadly, the family business which had been in business for many decades is now closed due to retirement of the owners in 2019.
We also had all girls so clothing was handed down and nothing went to waste.
Because we were outdoor active when the kids were small, it was necessary that the kids wore good hiking boots and riding boots for safety reasons.
For every day wear..my kids wore inexpensive clothing...but always coordinated which made some think the clothing was more expensive than the clothing was. Teachers always commented on how good the kids look and it wasn't expensive at all. Laundry habits and ironing keep them in very good shape.
For family pictures, church, special events...yes, my kids wore expensive clothing and those were usually ordered from a particular store in the NE. Sadly, the family business which had been in business for many decades is now closed due to retirement of the owners in 2019.
We also had all girls so clothing was handed down and nothing went to waste.
Because we were outdoor active when the kids were small, it was necessary that the kids wore good hiking boots and riding boots for safety reasons.
I have two daughters as well. When oldest DD was in grades second through fourth, I worked in the management office of an upscale department store (now defunct). I kept my eye out when clothes in the girls' department went on sale, then supplemented the sale price with my 25 percent off discount. I liked bringing home clothes for my girls, and I bought my oldest DD an entire school wardrobe of her favorite "Radishes and Roses" colored brushed denim jeans and matching print turtle necks and t-shirts. She had a dozen pair of jeans in every color imaginable, with at least three tops that coordinated with each pair of jeans. I don't think she ever wore the exact same outfit more than twice in a month. They cost on the average, after the sale price and my discount, about $2.99 each.
These clothes were good quality and wore well. They still looked close enough to new when I handed them down to youngest DD.
There are some really good websites out there that sell 2nd hand including EXTREMELY high brand stuff ranging from shoes to dresses.
You might want to check some of them out.
Thanks mathguy but, as usual here, I wasn't really talking about me. I mean, I DID buy my kid an expensive hoody but it's not designer. It's something sold by his favorite Youtuber. And it was insanely expensive for what it was. That's actually lasted him awhile though. Bought it a bit bigger.
But generally, I don't buy designer anything.
Quote:
Good way to have your cake and eat it too without having to leave the house.
I LIKE leaving the house. Tired of not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by riley
I think it's sad, and telling about our society, that someone is even asking this question.
Is it 'important?' NO.
Agree.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ted Bear
It is completely retarded to spend money on fancy stuff for a small child.
OK grandpa!
Quote:
The rest of us think you look silly because we know what you are doing and we know how juvenile it is.
Is it important to dress children too young to care about it in expensive clothing? Certainly, I understand about how important it can be to teens, and even preteens, to have the "right" labeled jacket, or logo'd shirt, or logo'd sneakers, but I'm talking about kids who are too young to care, and just want to be in comfortable clothing. All I cared about was that the clothing was clean and neat, and not threadbare. How important, socially, is it to dress them in obviously expensive clothing? Clearly, the kid doesn't care. I always thought of it as a social statement by the parent, like carrying a very expensive handbag, or owning and wearing a huge diamond ring. But I never really thought about how it might affect the way other people might treat my child.
Similar to virtue signaling. Although older children "gots" to have the latest and greatest stuff.
If as a parent you can afford that luxury, then by all means. Especially if you are into name brand stuff yourself.
We really do not care for any name brands or designers. So it would be easy for me not to look for or dress my little ones in any of that apparel. Once they grow up if they want to be trendy then I would partially comply. (great time to show them the value of money and show them how hard it is to save up for something they really want.) However I have high hopes my kids will grow up to not care for the name brand stuff.
If you have fear of people around you treating your kids any different because of a simple logo. You might need to reconsider being around them. Bougie Free!
My kid was so rough on clothing that it would have been a huge waste of money to buy him designer anything. No matter what an item cost he could have it looking like a thrift store reject in about three days.
Although I never had to buy blue jeans for years. Sears guaranteed that nobody could wear through the knees of their toughskin jeans, so every couple of months I would take in the toughskins with huge holes worn in the knees and they let me trade them in for the next size up. It was a sad day when they discontinued that guarantee. Those were good looking jeans and most kids couldn't damage the knees so Sear probably did quite well by offering that guarantee, they just didn't allow for kids like mine.
When he hit school, though, he wanted the same clothing that the other kids wore with the right label. It was a high income school district and I couldn't afford to buy what he wanted, not as fast as he grew and as hard as he was on clothing. So I learned to stretch and sew and let him pick out fabric and he got custom made shirts that he was proud to wear and that nobody else could have.
I never skimped on shoes though. His feet were an odd size and I spent a heck of a lot of money buying shoes that fit right that he grew out of in 5-6 weeks. Proper fitting shoes are important for a growing child. Fortunately, there was an "in" skateboard shoe that fit his feet properly, so that is what he wore and I gritted my teeth and paid for them..
Although I never had to buy blue jeans for years. Sears guaranteed that nobody could wear through the knees of their toughskin jeans, so every couple of months I would take in the toughskins with huge holes worn in the knees and they let me trade them in for the next size up. It was a sad day when they discontinued that guarantee. Those were good looking jeans and most kids couldn't damage the knees so Sear probably did quite well by offering that guarantee, they just didn't allow for kids like mine.
My husband recalls that his mother would buy those Toughskin jeans for his older brother, who would pass them down to little brother, and between the two of them they did manage to put holes in the knees of some pairs and get a replacement pair. It's impressive that your single child wore through so many. What was he doing?
Is it important to dress children too young to care about it in expensive clothing? Certainly, I understand about how important it can be to teens, and even preteens, to have the "right" labeled jacket, or logo'd shirt, or logo'd sneakers, but I'm talking about kids who are too young to care, and just want to be in comfortable clothing. All I cared about was that the clothing was clean and neat, and not threadbare. How important, socially, is it to dress them in obviously expensive clothing? Clearly, the kid doesn't care. I always thought of it as a social statement by the parent, like carrying a very expensive handbag, or owning and wearing a huge diamond ring. But I never really thought about how it might affect the way other people might treat my child.
It's unlikely to affect how other people treat your child. Parents that are concerned about it and do it regularly without apparent special occasion do it because they're concerned about what other people will think of them (the parents.) Their children's dress becomes no different than any other conspicuous consumption. It isn't unlike a handbag that they carry.
I've also seen parents that do it because they apparently like having a dress up doll that walks and talks and wets it's diaper.
My husband recalls that his mother would buy those Toughskin jeans for his older brother, who would pass them down to little brother, and between the two of them they did manage to put holes in the knees of some pairs and get a replacement pair. It's impressive that your single child wore through so many. What was he doing?
I didn't have toughskins but speaking as a kid that wore out a lot of stuff, I don't remember much that we did on carpet. In winter, we played indoors in the basement, rollerskating or shooting hockey pucks or playing with toys; Dad insisted on a big basement when he bought the house for that reason. In warmer months we were outside, either on the asphalt or in the grass and dirt. We weren't wholly feral children (as described by a "Getoffa-my-lawn" type of neighbor) but "free range" might be accurate.
Dressing little girls well is a big deal in some parts of the south.
Truth^^
I never appreciated how materialistic many native southerners are. My theory is that the COL is generally lower but more importantly flatter across an area (ie the county), therefore more emphasis is placed on other more instantly visible cues of success or "good breeding" or whatever.
Where I grew up, there was a lot less of that, because it was relatively understood simply by where you lived.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Bingo!
