backpacks in secondary school

[Boudicca55]

My daughter is at secondary school and is being teased (bullied?) because she does not have a certain type of backpack...which costs a lot of money£70. I just can't afford it and even if I could, I reaally object to some other cirls dictating what kind of backpack I should buy for my child. COMMENTS PLEASE.

My year 8 dd uses a backpack. She doesn't care. In her case though her school has no uniform so what things people have/wear seems to be completely irrelevant. If she likes the bag I'd encourage her to push through. Eventually it'll become boring for everyone.

When I was at school several thousand years ago the trend was to carry backpacks on one shoulder only. In Year 10 I realised my back was hurting so I started - shock horror - to use both straps. I didn't care and if anyone did think I was worthy of making fun of i never heard any of it. By sixth form we'd all had enough of bad backs.

Luckily our school
Had a plain black rucksack with no obvious logo policy.

It isn't about the bag, it's about control.

Sorry your daughter feels as though she's being teased because she doesn't have the popular backpack. I second what others have said about checking on ebay, Depop or local Facebook groups to see if you can pick up a secondhand one if you decide that's what you'd like to do but I'd also talk to your daughter to find out a bit more about what's going on. Does everyone really have a £70 backpack? Is everyone teasing her or is it that she's desperate to have the same bag and is using those pleas in the same way children say, 'but everyone else's parents let them...'? If she is being teased, practise responses she could use or how to ignore the ridiculousness.

At my DCs' school, the requirement is for plain backpacks, no handbags. Both mine have chosen Eastpak backpacks in different colours. They, and the Kankens, seem to be the backpack of choice and my eldest's has lasted well (DC is in Y11).

Ugh I hate all of this kind of stuff

My 12 year old DS (yr7) was talking about it the other day, saying how he hates own clothes days as he knows he'll hear someone being nasty about another child. It's just horrid, why do other children care about what others wear or have as a bag?!!

I also think it's quite unusual for teenage girls to wear any kind of backpack these days. I know even when I was at school, they weren't 'cool'😲

I've got two teenage girls and they wouldn't carry a handbag. Like a lady or like a child pretending to be a grown up . Or worse like their mother.

My Dd year 11 has been using the same JanSport Big student backpack since year 7. Well worth the money.
Yiu can usually find them on sale somewhere for about £40 or less.
My sons had the same ones in Black and still use them now they are moved out.

EBay?

It does make you wish schools did their own bags

No, make me wish parents didn’t buy into this crap because most teens don’t have their own money and reply on mum and dad to buy them the ‘latest’

No a school issue. It’s a parent issue.

My daughter and all her friends have backpacks. Mostly nike or roxy but they are not fussed on the handbags thankfully and their bags weigh a ton.

If it is good quality and she is likely to use it for five years or so then it may be worthwhile. Could she have it as a birthday present or pay for half of it herself? Are they available second hand?

If it's not a backpack, it will be something else.
When I was at school it was Jane Norman bags and kickers shoes.

I wish there was a fashion for bags on wheels. Much better for their backs.

I can’t imagine bags with wheels ever being fashionable, look too much like granny trollies

I’m not sure if will work for all but we run through what girls might say and what child can reply.
As long as the longing for the bag not coming from child!
If it was I’d say they can request for birthday or Christmas, not replacing it then.
If they want something else by the time it comes round, then they never wanted it that much, and they understand there is a choice to be made, not unlimited funds.

Is there anything she could do to earn the money to buy it? Things around the house etc? I think when I was at school it was something ridiculous like a Jane Norman bag These trends are horrendous and kids are vile, some are happy to be different but some want to fit in a follow the madness.

If it's a Kanken then you can get fakes on eBay. Luckily my kids schools don't seem to have this problem. Dd has always worn unbranded plain backpacks and now uses a plain leather one. My sons always had Nike ones which doesn't attract attention either.

Does your dd even like the bag that her friends own? My dd isn't particularly outspoken but has always happily swerved trends that she doesn't like. When she was your DD's age that was stuff like Adidas Superstars and Cath Kidston backpacks

I also think it's quite unusual for teenage girls to wear any kind of backpack these days. I know even when I was at school, they weren't 'cool'😲

At our school it's only the kids who are driven to school who use handbags. The others generally go for backpacks

I hate all the trying to fit in thing, it sucks but it's a classic teenage thing. I try to not indulge it with my teens. Give good reasons why not eg this bag is more practical, I could use the money to buy x,y,z etc.

I've seen girls at the local school with big handbags but I know for a fact they don't bring exercise books home so their bags aren't heavy. At our school they lug around a ton of books and a Chromebook 😡. A normal school ruck sack fell apart in her first term and now they have hiking rucksacks!!!

You should post about this on threads where posters complain about the concept of uniforms.

That attitude at school is sadly very normal. I'd compromise and give her an acceptable one from primark or other.

Not sure if this helps but schuh have them in the sale for 59.00 and I can send you a 20 percent off code to

@level32 I spent that on my DS one he had it not for 3 school years and still going strong. Money well spent in my opinion.

@Level32

How many parents spend £70 on a backpack!?! Although saying that, I've seen at least 2 or 3 girls at DDs school with big Michael Coors totes, and it's not private. DS has a retro 60s messenger bag of ebay, and DD has a school one.

Dd had a Kipling backpack that cost that much and she's used it for the last 4 years. Very durable

How many parents spend £70 on a backpack!?!
honestly? pretty much the same amount who buy them an iphone...

Plus there are so many second hand sites, most teens have what they really "need".

Interesting thread now. Ive literally just gone "halves" on a kanken for my yr 7 daughter.

Up to this week I would have also been shocked anyone spent 70quid on a bag tbh...