The only thing I didn't have to buy for Anissa this school year was a new pair of rubber shoes. DH went on a business trip to HK last December and got her 2 pairs of Nikes. Neither have been worn since then because they were still loose. She started wearing the white one to PE class this week then complained about them when she got home.
Mom, they're too bulky kasi eh. The tongue rubs against my skin when I move and it hurts.
I asked her to please give it some time because it might just be a "break in" issue. She did as she was told.
The next time around, she complained again. Even showed me the part of her foot that's painful and I did notice a bit of redness on the skin. Too bad she was right because I was hoping it was just another case of "kaartehan" on her part. So I told her okay, use your other pair then. This 2nd pair is in black and has a hot pink swoosh on it.
But Mom, I'm gonna look like I'm wearing school shoes!
What do you mean? I thought you liked black? You badger me about getting you black stuff all the time. This one's black, what's wrong with it now?
Eh kasi it's in leather so it looks like my regular school shoes, they're weird.
You mean to tell me that just because it looks like your school shoes, you won't ever wear them? Haayyyy Anissa...you're not in school to do a fashion show.
Then I started to go on my usual litany of how much the shoes cost, what that kind of money can give a poor Filipino family, how DH spent time and effort looking for and buying it...blah blah blah. She stared blankly into space and I could tell exactly what she was thinking : There she goes again, sounding like a broken record. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've heard all those lines before.
One of the biggest challenges I'm faced with as a parent is how to make her realize the value of money. At 12 years old, I'm thinking she's old enough to understand. She watches the news with me and is, therefore, aware of how difficult life is and how fortunate she is to have access to expensive brands like Nike. I notice though that most of our arguments take place during the school year. So I'm now convinced that a lot of our issues are caused by none other than PEER PRESSURE. Our kids will always have friends whose families are in better financial shape. There'll always be another kid who has nicer, more expensive things. I practically went through the same thing growing up. In an exclusive all-girl school like Anissa's, peer pressure is inevitable. We as parents just have to be firm in our beliefs so that our children learn to adapt to them eventually. Lead by example. There's just no other way.
Now if only I can find the courage to clean up my shoe closet. Good luck to me.
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