How to get your kids off brand names and buying expensive clothes

There is no easy way to get your kids off brand names and the compulsion to buy items with big, visible labels. The best you can do is be a good role model and limit the amount of blatant brand-name items you purchase. Let your kids see that it's possible to be a happy, well-adjusted adult without Donna Karan's name or Nike's logo splayed all over your body. Again, teach the lesson by being the lesson. If your kids won't take a lesson from you, perhaps they'll listen to one of their idols.When you're watching television, point out what a "dope" shirt Sarah Michelle Gellar is wearing, then comment that you never see her with some logo splashed across her body.

Point out that some of the clothes on these shows are "vintage", and tell them how you'd never find a truly choice piece of antique clothing on Macy's racks. If you point out how each of their favorite stars has developed their own style, rather than simply mimicking their Hollywood brethren, you might influence them to strike out on their own and build a wardrobe based on their personal tastes. If you have younger children, find a fashion magazine and cut out the pictures of the celebrities - then cut their heads off. Most celebrities have a distinct style that is readily recognizable to even the elementary school set. Have your children try to guess whose head belongs to each body. Help them along with ridiculous statements like "Wow, these ripped jeans look so Cher" or "Doesn't this gold chain look like something Will Smith would wear?"

They'll know better and set you straight.When they've correctly matched everyone up, point out how Janet Jackson wouldn't be caught dead in Salma Hayek's outfit - it's just not her. Even though the outfits are pricey and over-the-top, your kids will see that celebrities create their own style rather than copy someone else's outfit. Stress how each one looks good in the ensemble of their choice. Even if you don't succeed in breaking your children's brandname obsession, youmight be able to hit them where it hurts most: the wallet. If your daughter has been pestering you for that $250 suede jacket she's just got to have, point out the various other items she could buy with the same money. "If you get that jacket, then I guess you don't want that shirt, those shoes, and the five sweaters you pointed out last time we were at the mall."

Or find a similarlooking item for less and show them that, had they not bought a brand name, they could have bought two for the price of the one designer garment. Show them that their choices have repercussions on their future spending and you'll gain more credibility than if you simply lectured them on the evils of brand names. If the clothing selection du jour in your kids' schools involves brand-name goods, as is most likely the case, good luck. You're facing an uphill fight. While you may not be able to break your children's addiction to items that carry a larger price tag simply because of the name on the label, youmight be able to make a bit of a difference in their thinking for later on.

As parents, we frequently have to act like a broken record, repeating the same message until kids finally hear - and listen. No one changes overnight. Nonetheless, just because the battle is not easy to win doesn't mean we shouldn't fight it. Get out there and do the best you can. Teach your kids that they don't need to spend their money and serve as free advertising - or, in some neighborhoods, risk their lives - in order to be accepted. In a crazy world, parents have to be a beacon of sanity. Otherwise, we are forfeiting our responsibilities as role models and shapers of the future.

Intervene early because teenagers are the single most desirable demographic group in the whole country. They have more money to spend as they please than any other age group. They have yet to make decisions about which toothpaste, laundry detergent, or shampoo they'll buy for the rest of their lives. These two factors alone are enough to make corporations covet kids - from head to toe. Businesses spend billions of dollars annually to influence buying decisions and to coax hard-earned dollars from their pockets. If you think they have your kids' best interests at heart, then think again.

How to get your kids off brand names and buying expensive clothes

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