Every parent, at some point, will see their child with a new haircut or a new piece of clothing that they absolutely don’t understand and may even disagree with. If you’ve always loved your daughter’s luscious long hair and she suddenly shaves it off one day as a teenager, it’s understandable why you might react with a sense of shock and disappointment.
Of course, this may be the reaction that the child is trying to get out of you. Every kid is bound to go through a rebellious phase, where it seems like everything they do is about not-conforming for the sake of it.
Unless the habits and behaviours that your child exudes are dangerous in some way, then you really don’t need to interfere. If you can remember going through your own rebellious phase, then you will no doubt be able to sympathise with what your child is doing.
The most important thing to remember is that you don’t repress their individuality or get them in trouble for doing something different. There is no reason to punish a child for making a personal style choice that you disagree with – you need to let them work things out for themselves.
Most kids will pick up and abandon new identities as they go through their formative years and all you can do is support them. This does not mean you need to throw money at them so they can buy things at their whim. In fact, the more control you have over the spending money you give to your children, the less likely they will spend it freely on frivolous things. In this sense, it is an excellent way to teach your child the value of money and that investments in their personal style need to be paid for.
