3 Tips For Dealing With Your Teen's Inappropriate Wardrobe
Are you the parent of a teenager that you love with every ounce of your being?
And with each chance you get, let him or her know how proud you are of his or her accomplishments.
However, there’s one little problem, you really dislike the way your son or daughter dresses.
Most teenagers strive to look their best from a fashion standpoint and usually keep up with the latest trends, good or bad.
While this is okay in some aspects, it can result in your teenager wearing baggy pants showing their boxers or revealing shirts that show off too much cleavage.
While these do seem to be popular fashion trends, do you really want your child to display them?
If not, you may be wondering what you should do.
When it comes to your teenager and fashion trends that you may not necessarily approve of, your first thought may be to lay down the law.
As a parent, this is your right to do, but did you know that you may actually end up causing more damage?
Do you remember what it was like being a teenager?
If you were like most teenagers, there was a good chance that the last thing you wanted was to be told how to dress by your parents and the same is likely so for your own teen.
That is why you may want to think about taking a different approach by responding and not reacting.
Today I will share 3 Tips For Dealing With Your Teen's Inappropriate Wardrobe.
Let’s cover them now…
1)) Have A Calm Conversation
One of the many instances where you should speak to your child about their fashions is if it may end up causing them some harm.
As previously mentioned, many of the latest fashion trends for women and for girls are low-cut shirts and low-rise pants.
This often ends up leaving a good portion of the body exposed.
In today’s society, you always need to be on the lookout for sexual predators.
While your teenager may not necessarily be interested in someone, someone may misinterpret the way your teen dresses and target your child.
This could put your teenager in a weird and possibly dangerous situation.
If that is the case, you may want to take the time to explain that, as it may sink in better than if you were just to say “change your clothes; you can’t wear that.”
You know that teens can be rebellious at times, especially if they’re being influenced by negative peers.
Be certain to speak using a calm tone when you approach your child to have a conversation about how he or she dresses.
Your demeanor is everything.
2)) Encourage the Exploration of Other Fashion Options
It is also important that both you and your teenager remember that fashion trends regularly change.
It is not uncommon for a fashion trend to only last a few months.
If you are not happy with the current fashion trends, but your teenager is, you may want to encourage him or her to explore other options.
There are a number of fashion magazines and online fashion websites that have a large number of fashion trends and information on those trends.
Not all fashion trends require the wearing of “skimpy,” clothing.
For that reason, you may want to explore other options.
If your teenager is a girl, it could actually turn into a neat mother-daughter bonding experience between the two of you.
Why not take your teenager shopping and make a day of it, where you dine at your child’s favorite restaurant, and include other fun activities of his or her choosing?
If you take this approach, you’ll be creating a positive experience that your child will remember for a lifetime, as opposed to yelling at him or her.
Using the right approach increases the chance of your teenager taking your advice on changing the way he or she dresses.
3)) Explain the Consequences of Violating School Dress Codes
Something else that you may not necessarily think about, but should, be is if your child goes to high school.
Many high schools have dress codes that often prohibit the wearing of revealing clothing.
While not all schools actively enforce their dress codes, many of them do.
Like being told not to wear certain clothes by their parents, many teenagers may feel angered being told by school officials.
For that reason, you may want to take action before anything serious happens that could seriously jeopardize your child’s security and school records.
It is not uncommon to hear of instances where children are suspended from school due to not following the school’s dress code.
Sometimes child predators stalk teenagers that walk to school based on the way they dress.
If you have a female teenager that wears revealing clothing, it’s critical to convince her to dress more appropriately to help reduce the chances of becoming a target.
Conclusion
In short, teenagers and fashion are something that just seems to click together.
While it is important for your teenager to fit in with others and be popular at school, they do not necessarily have to be wearing the “hottest,” clothes or fashion accessories to do so.
They may not necessarily understand it at the time, but as a parent, it is your job to help them and keep them safe.
I want to reiterate, your approach is key, you must remain cool, calm, and collected.
You’re not being weak by doing so, because if you push too hard, you could end up losing your child if he or she decides to stop communicating.
If your child cuts off the communication, you’ll be left in the dark wondering what’s going on with him or her, and this can prematurely age you due to the overwhelming amount of worrying you’ll be doing.
There’s only one thing left for you to do if you’re serious about changing your teen’s inappropriate wardrobe, and that is to apply the three tips you learned about today!