[MeHeNDa3]

Just out of curiousity, as the topic title says, for those with the experience of older children and the opinion of those with younger children..WDYT is a reasonable age for kids to start buying or even putting money towards their own clothing costs?

My DS1 and DD are to a previous marriage, and just spent the last 5 days with xH. DD, 10, said they were in a shoe shop during that time looking for shoes as she needed some "special occasion" shoes, being her old ones were too small. DD chose a pair of sandals ($30) and was then told she had to spend her Christmas money to buy them. DD said she didn't realise she was buying them herself.

I wouldn't dream of asking my child to purchase her own shoes at 10, I guess I would rethink that if they were shoes she didn't actually need to replace a too small pair though. For example if she already had more than enough pairs and just "wanted" them. I just assumed clothing goes under the caring for umbrella of needs until she had the means, money wise, to buy her own.

[SlinkyMalinki]

I think it's reasonable to start buying some of your own clothes - particularly if you want to spend more on a specific brand, once you're working.

Even when I started working (15), my mum still paid for most of my clothes, though I was more likely to get them for birthdays/christmas.

[FluffyOscar]

Given that your DD is below the age where she can legally work, her parents should be paying for her shoes. Especially since there are no coal mines in Australia that are looking for 10yos at the moment.

[girltribe4]

I would think my nearly 13yr old should put some birthday/christmas /pocket money towards something if it was a ''want'' rather than a ''need'' but until she has a part time job I expect we will be paying for most things

[bluecardigans]

Same as SlinkyMalinky

[ekbubby]

My girls are 13 and almost 20.

My 20 year old has been buying most of her own clothes since she got a casual job in grade 10...however as the mum I still buy some clothes/shoes for her.

My 13 year old only buys her own when she does get Christmas and birthday money and it is something she really likes/wants. Again as the mum I buy everything else clothes and shoes wise.

However I am almost 40 and my mum still buys me some clothes too...lol.

[ubermum]

They buy their own when they have an income. I buy everything they need until they can afford it. If they have a want before they can afford it, they can have it as a birthday or Christmas gift, or use some of their gift money.

[countrymel]

In our family when you started high school (12) you switched from getting weekly pocket money to a 'clothing allowance'.

At the start of each term Mum and Dad would put a lump sum in our bank account and we had to manage it ourselves.

School uniforms weren't included - and sometimes I could wrangle some sneakers out of her too because they were 'for sport'.

You could buy what you wanted but the money had to cover all of your walking around expenses too (lollies, space invaders, hair gel, pizzas etc!)

It was a great way to learn how to budget (ask my sister who blew all hers on one pair of Corfu acid wash jeans in the first week of January one year!) and it meant that when Mum DID buy you something - I remember a rather glorious aqua outfit I wore to a school social in 1985 - you actually appreciated it as a kind and generous act.

I am also not a 'brand name' person to this day AND I learned to sew!

[Charri36]

Don't worry my ex is the same. Will not buy the kids a thing when they are with him apart from food. ( they hardly see him now though)

The kids are now 16 and 18, it has been this way forever.

Nope, to young to have to buy her own, pretty typical of some tight wad parents to pull that one tho.

[Mumma3]

I think it needs to be a phased in thing, with an încrease in pocket money to support it for kids too young to work.

My eldest DD is 16, and I pay for her reasonable clothing needs, ie I will spend up to $50 on a pair of jeans, but if she wants more expensive ones, she needs to pay the difference. If she is shopping with friends, and I know she needs some news tops etc, I'll give her some money for them. If she decides she just WANTS another pair of sparkly high heels or another dress for a party (because everyone has seen her other dress) then no, she pays for it! I pay for all school clothes, underwear etc but I did pay for her formal dress last year, because that was a special night and I wanted to - but we looked for a while to find something reasonably priced.

The great thing about this, is that now, she will go shopping and look at the price before she even tries something on and is always looking for a bargain.

At 10 years old, I would not expect any chîld to fund a pair of shoes, especially if the old ones were out grown. If it was me, I'd be reimbursing your DD. I guess it depends on the relationship you have with exH if you want to talk to him about it.