Should high schoolers pay for their own clothes?

How much responsibility should high schoolers have when it comes to paying for their clothing? Is it your responsibility, or theirs?

Moms facing off this week

Our mom bloggers this week are Janell Poulette of Saving You Dinero and Vera Sweeney from Lady and the Blog. Both moms are SheKnows Experts Among Us, and this week they almost agree!

Question: Should high schoolers pay for their own clothes?

Vera Sweeney

Lady and the Blog

@VeraSweeney

I know you want me to say that high schoolers should pay for their own clothing. I know you are also hoping that I will write that children should earn their keep and that they should all have after-school jobs. Wouldn’t it be great if I wrote how it’s important to instill responsibility in them at an early age? I’m sorry folks… but I’m not going there.

In fact, I don’t want my children to get a job unless they actually want one. And even then I might fight them on the decision. We — as humans — have to work for the rest of our lives! I mean, we hit that daily grind until we are well into our ’60s (at a minimum).

I don’t think it’s wrong for children to have a stress-free childhood. I actually got a job when I was a senior in high school but not because I had to. It was because I thought it would be fun. And when I got bored of that job I quit it and received no push-back from my mother.

The same thing goes for college. The only jobs I want my kids to have are getting good grades and making the most out of their college years.

Janell Poulette

Saving You Dinero

@Janellcp

I do not believe that high schoolers should have to pay for their own clothes. I think it’s part of the parents’ responsibility to provide clothing for their children. As a parent, I think it is important to teach your kids how to budget their money, but high schoolers should not have to worry about earning enough money to buy their own clothes.

High schoolers have enough to worry about: homework, sports, other extracurricular activities and possibly a part-time job. You want them to be able to enjoy their high school years, do well in school and excel at sports, without the added pressure of buying their own clothes. I think parents should provide some money to their children that is for clothes shopping. This will help them to create a budget without having to worry about working more hours to buy their own clothes.

Most teenagers can’t work until they are 16 years old so it would be hard for them to earn enough money to buy their own clothes. Now, if your high schooler has used up all the money you have provided for her to buy her own clothes, then she should have to use her own money to buy any additional clothing she wants.

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