Writing everyday has proved to be harder than I thought. Four kids take a lot of time and leave little time for getting to the computer. My priorities are such that I feel the need for them to have clean clothes and food on the table. This takes an extrordinate amount of time. Today I had a field trip with my daughter and I am worn out. Here I experienced from listening to conversation that apparently "not every kids actully can watch R movies, go to the mall unsupervised, etcccc.....". It wasn't so much in what was said as what wasn't said when the conversations came around to what the girls were doing over the weekend. My kids would like me to believe I am a prison gaurd and the only parent in the world who acts as such.
So my dear little children will probably be lucky to go to the YMCA or take a walk with me this weekend around the block and I won't feel bad one bit about it.
1. Kids are better off earning some of lifes little necessities. By necessites I mean set a budget for those things, lets say shoes you agree to $30 three times a year. You will provide hand me down shoes and thrift store finds,etc.... no charge.
Above your limit let them earn the money. My oldest really wanted a pair of shoes that cost $70 he got on line and found them on clearance for $29.99. I was so proud of him I paid the shipping.
2. Pick up kids clothes at thrift stores and yard sales. Let poeple know you love to get hand me downs. Explain how this helps the earth and how some poor soul in a third world country makes a lot of our clothes for little pay and bad working conditions.
3. If you have picky teenages who are slef concious about there clothes despite what you say heres what I do. My teenager likes a certain brand of clothing. He doesn't care where it comes from so I keep this in mind. We have a T.J. Maxx that sells his favoirte brands for 1/4 the cost of the mall. He has about 5 shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, and two pairs of shorts that he wears to school. I wash them quite often and he mixes and matches. At home and when we are hanging out on weekends and holiday he wears whatever I have picked up on my thrift shopping excurisons. Most of this actually looks nicer to me but hey he's a teenageer what can I say.
Namaste"
Courtney
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