Picky 7 year old?

Question

My 7 year old boy has been real difficult lately, He is picky about his clothing and sneakers and will throw a temper tantrum if I get him an outfit or sneakers that he doesnt approve of. I feel he is too young for those expensive name brand sneakers ecspecialy considering the rate he his growing. I dont want to buy him all the expensive stuff because he is just going to grow right out of everything, but he will throw a fit even in the stores. I do dress him well but he is worse then a girl when it comes to clothing and shoes and he is only 7. What should I do about this?

Man some of your answers are harsh ecspecialy the lady that said maybe he gets his pickyness from me, I am not a picky person and I am not one of those mall shoppers eighter, Wal- mart and Payless because I am a single mother and I do have to budget my finances. I would excpect this behaivor from my 12 year old but he never complains about anything wish my 7 year old was more like him

Oh and ROB D let me whipp the SH*T out of your @$$. Child abuse isint the answer you dumb@$$ you are so REPORTED

Answer 1

I do agree that some of these answers are rather harsh. He is too young to be so worried about clothes, and I can understand your concern. Here is an idea: talk to him BEFORE you take him clothes shopping, and very nicely explain that if he throws a tantrum, he will not get anything. Remind him ONE TIME before you enter the store, and if he tantrums, do not get him anything. Remember that if his tantrums work, they will only get worse, and the things he demands will get more expensive. You will probably have to leave a few stores before he gets the idea. I know it is embarassing to have a kid throw a tantrum, but look at it like this: if you give in, you will have tantrums to deal with for MUCH LONGER. So then we have the second issue: what to do when your child wants clothing that is more than you can afford. Here's what I'd suggest: look at the pricetag, and tell your son, "I can only afford $10 for a shirt, and this shirt is $20. I'll tell you what. I can see you like this a lot, so you and I won't X this weekend [whatever you'd do for entertainment/fun - but don't make the older kid go along with this], and that will give us the money to come buy this shirt next week!" Then do it. It is my TOP GUESS that when he is deprived of activities [not as punishment - this is just REAL LIFE - when you spend money one way, you don't have it to spend another way] it will not take long for his taste in clothing to be less. My kids would of course like nicer things but we do a lot of 'stuff' together, and they understand the choices that we make. And we are all dressed decently...

Answer 2

Whenever he throws a fit, leave the store immediately and go home. No new clothes or shoes. Never give into a temper tantrum. I agree, kids grow way too fast for name brand clothing. I will shop at consignment shops and get a great bargain sometimes.

When my son was about that age, he wanted skateboard shoes. So we went shopping and they were about $100! Ridiculous, he would have outgrown them within a season. So I taught him to comparison shop. We found some that looked identical but were the Sears Nevada brand for $25 dollars. He accepted that. He is 15 now and I have taught him that you never buy something unless it's on sale. Consignment shops ROCK! And look for quality items that will last. So far so good. Good luck.

Answer 3

It sounds like you have a boy that knows what he likes! I am sure even at his age there is pressure to get Designer stuff and dress a certain way. While all parents would like to say they don't cater to their kids, we all do to some point. So, mom, take a deep breath ----relax. And this is how I would handle it. Tell him that "x amount" is what mom can afford right now and if he wants more, then he has to do extra chores for mom, grandpa, aunt sally, dad, etc and help raise the money. I did this with my daughter when the "designer bug" bit her. It seemed to help. If I told her I could afford $30 for shoes and she wanted $50 shoes, she would have to earn the extra $20+change for tax. She didn't get them until she had the right amount. It teaches them the value of a $1.00 and also some responsibility that mom/dad aren't magically producing money. I am sorry for all the "idiot" answers you received- but it seems like there is one in every crowd. I hope this helps!

Answer 4

have you ever wondered WHY he is doing this?
Kids this young usually react to their surroundings. If you are picky, then he is simply learning off you.
Or, perhaps he is being bullied at school about what he is wearing.

Try figuring out what the motive is behind him doing this and fix it from there instead of looking for easy ways to shut him up.

In addition, as another answerer said - you may be giving him too much choice. give him a choice of two outfits so that he feels some control - but he is only 7 - too much choice can make kids anxious and frustrated. you are the adult.
.

Answer 5

The only thing to do is explain to him the reasons you are not buying him brand name clothes and shoes. My son is just turning 8 and he understands when I tell him that those items are too expensive. We have a brand of clothes in Australia that are a reasonable price and are 'cool'. The brand is Bad Boy so he thinks he is ultra trendy in them, they are nice clothes aswell.
Take him shopping and let him pick out his own clothes but only show him things that are in your price range. At least that way he has some sort of power over his clothes. He will grow out of it, there is probably some kid at school who is ultra spoilt with brand names and your son just wants to fit in.

Answer 6

Congratulations on being a good Mom to your two kids. You are obviously doing your best.

You might want to consider speaking with him on the matter when he is relaxed - not thinking of it - i.e., maybe after bath time and after he has his PJ's on relaxing in his bed. I find that I can communicate effectively with my own 7 year old at this time of day as the "settling" approach seems to take effect and brief conversations of reflection seem to work. I usually keep the conversation to 3-5 minutes for reasons of focus and approach the topic(s) in a care free manner.

Hope this helps and best of luck to you!

Answer 7

You could do this for probably one month or two and he would get the picture...give him the money you spend on clothes, food, and whatever you want for a month...take him shopping, tell him this is the money you spend on clothes and he can spend it how he likes...but when he is done their is no money left. If he runs out of clothes that is too bad...I know he is seven...but I guarantee you he can figure it out real quickly. In the process you can show him how to get a good deal on things and that if he chooses only expensive things he will not have money to buy things like underwear and other stuff.
also, I would like to know how much you spend on clothes for him a month. If it is over $100 that is way too much in my opinion. My wife and I budget about $1000 a year for clothes for her, my 3 children and myself. ( and we usually have money left over...that is about $85 a month.) You might to check out this book also...it sounds like he might have some other discipline issues that need to be worked on. Check out Love and Logic Parenting books by Charles Fay...they have literally changed our lives.

Answer 8

Stand your ground, and give him a choice of 2 outfits: This one or that one. Maybe he will feel he has a choice. Also, scour the garage sales. Its a great place to get some good name brand clothes...or even e-bay.

Answer 9

spank his butt and let him know who's boss and then sit him down and explain why you don't buy him what he wants. Kids today need to learn Money don't grow on trees in the backyard.. and fancy name brand clothes don't make the person, you are only paying for the name not the product. i know i worked in the apparel industry for 12 yr.

Answer 10

Have you ever SPANKED the little fella'?
Give it a try. Show him who's in charge while he's still small and manageable. You'll be sorry if you wait,.. it'll be too late before you know it "considering the rate he his growing".
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