Summer Shopping With Kids

Well, I think warm weather is finally here to stay and we can break out our shorts. Great time of year! Except for the shopping. Anyone else out there experiencing exhausting fun shopping trips with their kids?

My nine year old twins recently informed me they had NOTHING to wear. And it wasn't an exaggeration. Pretty much everything from last summer was too small and it was time to replenish their wardrobes. So off to Target we went.

Two girls, two different opinions of what looks good. Gone are the days when I could choose matching outfits. Now when I make suggestions, I get the deer in headlights, how could she even think I would like that look.

"How about these capri pants, girls?"
Cue the dramatic pause, the shifting eyes, the quizzical expression indicating Is she for real? Then the definitive, leave no room for negotiation response.
"No, only jeans or shorts, nothing in between."

Shopping with my twins is predictable only in that they will both want something different. One will pick ruffles and color, one will choose stripes and solids. They don't like to share clothes, so there's a lot of negotiation over who gets certain "hot" items. Like these pants. These little black pants were described as "I need these or I'll die." Of course, I marveled at the drama and secretly found it ironic that it clearly says "capri" on the tag.


Shorts. It was a struggle to find shorts we could agree on. I had to say no to a pair that was way too small and tight, but was getting a startling amount of begging and whining time. When I said no for the last time and the disappointed fashion queen stomped walked back to change, the lady manning the dressing room mimed clapping.

After that I tried my strong arm shopping technique which basically consists of picking things out and throwing handing them over the dressing room door.

"Try these on."
"No, please no, I hate them."
"Put them on."

Hint...do not buy anything that requires this conversation. It will be buried so deep in their dresser, it will never see the light of day. 

After fine tuning and further perfecting the art of mother/daughter negotiation, we did eventually buy some some clothing. Exiting the store smiling = success.

How about you? Maybe you aren't experiencing summer shopping with kids. Maybe you're trying to shop for yourself. Believe I know that can be just as draining fun!

P.S. File this under the difference between girls and boys...Both of my boys needed new shoes this month. The oldest I took to the store where he chose the FIRST pair he tried on. The youngest was even easier. No shopping trip necessary. Showed him one pair of sneakers online, he agreed and was wearing them the day after they arrived. I salute the male shopping gene!


24 comments:

  1. Lol my little girl is 16 months and already she tugs and tugs at shirts she doesn't like until I take them off. How does she know not to like them?! And why?!!!! I don't know if I have what it takes to raise a girl :)

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    1. That's funny! Sounds like you don't have much longer to choose her clothes. :) She'll probably have great fashion sense though!

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  2. Suzanne of Simply Suzannes at Home

    Oh Marie! You have me laughing out loud again :0) Love it!!
    Yes, boys are easier! Our oldest daughter (6 years old) is starting to have an opinion . . . and I can foresee dreaded shopping trips in the very near future. Sigh!!
    I have so much fun reading of your family tales :0)
    You're the best!
    I hope your Mother's Day weekend is filled with fun, love, and laughter!
    Suzanne

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    1. Thanks, Suzanne! You're going to be going through this soon. Enjoy the shopping while you can! :) Happy Mother's Day to you, too!

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  3. I have a boy, but he loves shopping! Has since he was a tiny infant... Just today we went to Carter's bc he needed some new jammy jams, and he was picking them out and handing them to us (he's 21 months old). He fought when we put some back, but there was no way I was buying all that he had given me. LOL Especially considering he'll be grown out of them in about 5 minutes.

    I do not look forward to shopping with him as he gets old and more difficult. ;)

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    1. That's cute! Sounds like he already has a clothing opinion! :)

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  4. I have a five year old and I hate shopping with him - he literally grabs the first thing he sees and then says let's go to the cafe/toy shop...

    #MagicMoments

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  5. I'm just now starting to deal with this. My 7 year old has gotten rather picky about her new clothes. She likes bright and gawdy stuff….all stuff that I hate. It's driving me crazy. So, we're learning to compromise a lot. :)

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  6. I thought when I read this "I wonder if boys will be different" (I have two and no girls) and then I got to the end of the post and it was like an air punch moment :-) !! #magicmoments

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  7. I'm the mom of three girls- and I hate shopping. It's already a problem and the oldest is only 7. Thank goodness for grandma!

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    1. I have been known to send mine with Grandma, too! :)

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  8. My two sons were very different types of shoppers. One, Mark, could go into a store and immediately see ten items he wanted . The other one , Brian, could never find anything. one time when Brian was in college , I went to visit for the day and we went to the mall. he found a pair of sunglasses and we waited in a long line. I got tired of waiting and gave him the money to pay for them as I said I would meet him in another store when he was done. When we met back together, he had put the sunglasses back and had not even gotten the sunglasses. Grrrrr!

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    1. That's funny and frustrating! :) Hopefully, he's a little better shopper now!

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  9. My eldest is only six so I just order all her clothes online and she's happy to wear whatever. I'm sure this won't last long. #sharewithme

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  10. Hahahaha! Loved this one! Haven't had this experience for summer, but definitely love the boy shopping so much better! I'm glad God placed the dressing room lady there for a little encouragement in the midst. :-)

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    1. Thanks, Mindy! The dressing room lady must see a lot of that! :) My boys, on the other hand, don't even want to buy it if they have to try it on!

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  11. Oh hun I feel you! I still remember fighting with my own mother about what to wear what not to wear. Eeek I have all this to come with my daughter. I have six brothers I know how easy they are to shop for. It was amazing my youngest brother never cared at all. My mom never even took him with us just used to throw stuff in from target, (my favorite store back home) while I tried on a million things. I can't imagine twice the dosage you have with twins! Good luck haha you can give me all the advice when my daughter gets to this stage. Either way great post thank you ever so much for linking up to Share With Me #sharewithme

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  12. Hmm, yes, I think I can see this happening! It's been so easy with the boys, but the wee girl already refuses to wear things - and she's only two! I can only imagine what it's going to be like in a few years :)

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    1. Girls start their opinionated fashion sense early! Enjoy picking most of her outfits while you can. :)

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  13. I have a ten year old and having one is bad enough, let alone twins. I used to buy her clothes on line but I just can't do that anymore as she is super fussy. The other problem we have is that she is skinny and long, so clothes hang off her unless they have adjustable waist bands. Funny thing is that I remember having similar arguments with my own mum when I was around the same age.

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    1. That's true, Nicola! I think all clothing, even for adults, should have the option of adjustable waistbands! :)

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  14. haha--there's a pretty big difference between boys and girls! Mom and Dad decided to give all of my little siblings jeans for Christmas because none of them had jeans that fit without holes in them. My Mom detests shopping so I was assigned to do the legwork of the task, which, for my sisters, involved using up half the dressing rooms at Old Navy and me inspecting every pair of jeans after it had been tried on because these teenagers don't know what "fit" means (my 14 year old sister is 5'8" and she's convinced that all the regular length jeans that are too short on her are just fine!). Shopping for my brother involved hitting up the big&tall section of JC Penney and calling him, "What's your size? Okay, got it, these better fit!"

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    1. Jeans are hard to shop for if you're a girl, so I can totally see using up the dressing rooms in Old Navy! Glad your brother made it easier on you! :)

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