My Views and Ideas: Life and Parenting

Are there joys of parenting teenagers in the age of TikTok era? These days parenting is like signing up for a full-time job you didn’t know existed. One day, you’re budgeting for groceries, and the next, you’re shelling out $150 for “cloud slippers” that look like they were designed by someone who hates feet. Need a second job to keep up? Same. One moment, you’re cruising through your monthly budget with confidence, and the next, you’re panic-Googling “Why is a Stanley cup $60?” (Spoiler: it doesn’t even come with unlimited refills.) If you have teens, you’ve likely been subjected to their well-rehearsed TED Talk on why they absolutely need the latest trendy item to survive—like a claw clip so big it could double as a crab trap or that viral hoodie that apparently cures all teenage woes. In our house, I call this phenomenon The Trend Tax . It’s not in the IRS code (yet), but it sure feels like it when your bank account gets hit with surprise "necessities." It’s a predictable...