Mom I Want.....

The day I’ve been waiting for has finally arrived.  I’ve been anticipating it, even slightly looking forward to it.  I started to think the day would never come.   But it did, today.

Ashley:  Mom, when you have time this week can we go shopping?

Me :  For what?

Ashley:  Well you know the brand North Face? 

Me:  Um, yeah, why?

Ashley:  I want a pink, fuzzy North Face jacket.  One with a hood.  I want to pick it out.  I don’t want you going and buying me one.  I want to see it first to make sure it’s the right one. 

Me:  Well find a picture of it and show me.

Ashley:  Ok, but mom, I don’t want you getting me a different color one, I only want pink.  My friend so-and-so has it in purple, and my other friend has it in blue.

Ashley isn’t your typical “pre-teen” girl.  She doesn’t have a 100 BFFs, doesn’t go ga-ga over boys, and has never cared about any of the clothes she wears.  Don’t get me wrong, she likes fashion, but has never been hung up if her “skinny” jeans came from Target or Macys. 

I remember my sister asking me “doesn’t Ashley wear Aero clothes?”, and my reply was “huh? no, she’s never mentioned it”.   My sister then informed that all the “cool” kids were wearing Aero (this was in 4^th grade).  When I mentioned it to Ash, she was just like “yeah, I guess you can buy me some shirts from there”.  She didn’t care. Next came the Holister trend.  Never once did she ask for that either.   She’s never asked for any brand until today.

I remember being her age, wearing  designer jeans and name brand tennis shoes.  I also remember begging my mom to buy me a pair of “Madonna” boots that were well over $100 (in the 80’s), and they were definitely too old for me, but my parents bought them for me, because I wanted them.  I also remember only wearing those boots 1 time.  One freaking time.

I told Ash to send me a link to the pretty, pink, fuzzy hoodie she wants.

 

And yes, she is a beauty (and now I want one), but it also comes with a not-so-beautiful price tag of $140!

Luckily, although my kids are spoiled, they are not demanding.  They do understand that they do not get gifts other than on special days.  Once I told her that $140 for a coat is a little pricey for us, she said, “Well maybe I can get it for my birthday?  I want it for 7^th grade.”   I told her I’d think about it and look for one for her.  I’m sure by September, she’ll have changed her mind, or at least decided on a different style.  Until then, I have a few months to sock some money away, so she can have her awesome, pink, fuzzy hoodie.

My first reaction was to jump online and order it for her today, since I’m so excited that she finally wants something.   But the “smart” Heather said, ummm $140 is a lot of money, and she needs to understand that just because she wants something ,she certainly doesn’t need it, at least today as we sit upon the start of Spring/Summer.  What do you think, is a $140 hoodie too much to spend on a kids coat?  Should she have to “work” for it?  Should it be a present?   Or am I just crazy cheap living in my own la-la land, while other kids are sporting their coats like it’s nothing (which they do, and I see)?