Here are a few suggestions about shopping for
teenagers for Christmas.
1) If you get your child a car, get a used car in
good condition rather than a fancy new model. I say this because a
lot of teenagers are just learning to drive and are thus more likely
to get into wrecks; it's a lot less expensive to fix and insure a
used car than a new one. Even good kids like I was might still lack
the control to handle some of the bigger, more powerful vehicles out
there. My father fixed up one of my grandmother's old cars for me and
my sister, and that was more than enough.
2) Don't spend a lot of money on the latest fads
when it comes to clothes. With our luck, what is 'in' now will be out
by the time they open their presents. That, and sizes can fits can
vary among brands. What my parents used to do to solve this problem
is to give us the money they would have spent on clothes for
us-usually about $100-$200-and let us buy them ourselves. That way,
we would know that what we got fit and looked good on us. If they
didn't, we only had ourselves to blame. :) To be honest, half the fun
was had in going out shopping with my sister and friends. You can't
put that in a box!
3) Ditto the latest technology, at least
sometimes. It's fine to get your kids an iPod or something like that,
but it can get expensive if you have a child who insists on having
the 'latest thing' even if what they already have still works.
Also, sometimes updates to operating systems or software are put out
before the all bugs are worked out. If you get your teenager
something technological, get them something like an iPod or tablet
that can easily be upgraded. After that, tell them they're on their
own when it comes to apps and updates. Kids tend to find ways to keep
using what they already have if they know that they'd have to pay for
'a new one'!
4) Don't buy your teen
an exotic pet unless you've talked about it before and know that it's
not a 'passing fancy'. I suppose you can think of pets in the same
way as clothes and technology-sometimes a teen's tastes change so
quickly that, by the time the gift is opened, they won't be
interested anymore. My sister had a progression of rats (no, not
hamsters, actual rats) that she cared for very well. I, on the
other hand, would not have been as diligent because I had no
attention span and was way too busy to even take care of a fish,
let alone a rat! Once the 'novelty' wears off, the pet is left on
its own, which isn't fair to the pet.
5) Gift cards are your
friend. This is especially true when you find gift cards for online
stores such as Amazon or iTunes. That way, they can load up their
iPods or other devices with all the songs and apps they like without
having to put forth a lot of money.
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