Teenagers are Expensive

Until this year my daughter did not care about her looks. She strictly wore sports pants and tee-shirts and sneakers. She always wore her hair in a pony tail which I was ordered to put in. All of a sudden, she is primping and prepping before the mirror. She is, finally, able to do her own hair and gets upset when it doesn't look good. She showers without us begging, bribing and yelling! This new, hygienic, child comes at a price, however. And I mean a BIG price. Price tag, that is. We now have specific stores and specific brands that she NEEDS to have in order to be cool. She HAS to have certain labels in order to fit in with the girls at school. No more are we able to get away with "knock offs". She looks better than I do and I have a job. It just doesn't seem fair.