Would you allow 9yr old to buy Gucci?

[mamatocaptainchaos]

My son loves fashion. He always like to look good bless him.

Anyway; he wants to buy a Gucci fedora hat which is £150. He has saved up £200 from pocket money.

What are you opinions on this?! Partner says it's up to him! I think it's madness 😂

I wouldn’t simply because... once you make that first ‘luxury purchase’ there is no going back🤑

if it’s his money and he’s happy to use it on the hat then yes. my 13 year old is into ‘casual’ fashion at the moment and is spending all his money on stone island jumpers and adidas trainers. and bucket hats are apparently ‘in’ now. my dad’s just given my son a vintage burberry one and he was well chuffed.

How does a nine-year-old boy even know of Gucci?

And no - a child of that age shouldn't be allowed to spend that much money all at once. Sure, let them blow their own pocket money on what they want, but maybe £20 or so, not £150. That would be absurd.

He's on the spectrum and has adhd if that makes any difference!!

Yes, that does actually! To me, anyway, as the owner of a 10 yo boy with the same diagnosis. Mine would wear a bin bag and be happy, but is very particular and obsessive about other things which make no sense to me. He also saves all his pocket and birthday money while his NT sister fritters hers on sweets and tat, then spends it on expensive Lego sets.

Could you persuade him towards a second hand or knock off, on the basis he can spend what’s left on another designer item? Then if he loses or damages it he (and you!) will be slightly less gutted.

How does he know about Gucci?

I am guessing YouTube and roblox.

It definitely makes a difference if he has ASD

Gucci bucket hat? No far too cliche.!

Joking aside I wouldn't at 9 even though I buy expensive things myself & even if I won the Euromillions.

I think it's madness, but then I spend money on things that other people think are mad. I'm sure some people would recoil at what I've spent on my son's bikes for example. Different things are important to different people.
Did you know that he was saving money for this purpose? If so, and you normally let your children choose what they spend their pocket money on then I think you probably have to let him do it. I think I would have a serious talk with him about what else he could spend that money on and see if he still really wants it. Also I would tell him that if he spends the money on the hat but then discovers in a month or two that he wants something else more "sensible" that you won't be paying for it and he will have to save again. I might be considered a bit harsh but I believe in letting children learn from an early age that financial decisions have consequences.
I'm having a similar kind of disagreement with my DH regarding our son at the moment, though he's 15 and so should know better really! Originally he had asked for a new guitar for Christmas and we'd agreed to that, but at the last minute changed his mind and asked for something different. I agreed but made it clear that it was either or, not both. Fast forward to mid January and he is looking at guitars again. DH is offering to make an interest free loan, but wicked mother here says no, he made his choice and said he would save for the guitar, so save he must!

@Mrsfrumble yes my son is the same. He goes through obsessions. So at the moment it is fashion and designers! It was cars, trains, weather and space when he was younger!

DD saved for a guitar. Spent it. Now gathering dust. I’m not sure it’s any different but it did teach her to consider big spends before they are made.

I’m sure your son will learn a similar lesson and spend more time thinking it through next time.

Tbh I wouldn’t because your child isn’t into fashion he’s into status and I would be very worried about encouraging that. I’d probably find a way of showing him how long it takes to earn that in the real world etc.

I would
I think it’s a waste of money and I would make sure he understood that once he’s spent it that’s that
However, if he was determined to do it I wouldn’t stop him

It's his money that he has saved! If he had spent it weekly on sweets and magazines would you be ok with it?

@OnlyFoolsnMothers could you explain further please? I don't think he knows about 'status' at all!

I would try and dissuade him but not stop him. I'd definitely get him to wait until he can try it on.

Just had a quick look there is a few Gucci hats on Ebay, would he be happy with that.

Ultimately if he has saved the money he should decide on how to to spend it. I'm very frugal and a saver now but I was given access to a couple of thousand when I was 17 and of course blew it because I'd never had to manage my own money. Lesson learned for £150 at 9 is better than £3k at 17.

Absolutely not I have a nine-year-old and there is no way I would allow or encourage him to have clothes of that value
He doesn’t look after anything as it is

What does he want it for? I would also worry about it being stolen or lost

@Figgygal yes I am worried he will lose it or get it stolen too.

He'll definitely regret it. Why not start teaching him about quality>brands? Buying a £150 hat whether it's his money or not isn't going to teach him anything other than he can do something so he will, nevermind that he could do something better with that money. Any 9 year old who has 200 quid will have no idea what that money means, no matter how smart they are.

If he's on the spectrum, loves it, saved the money himself and it would make him very happy then yes, I would let him.

I'm not into designer stuff at all, but it's not really about that, is it? It's about being 9 and getting something that'll make him really happy.

I would say wait until the shops are open so you can go in person. He will either change his mind, or he'll have a lovely day and have the thrill of going into a shop and buying something he absolutely adores.

Make a day of it, have fun. And, as a pp said, explain to him about keeping it in good condition and that once he's grown out of it, he could sell it on eBay, if he wanted to.

If he’s saved up, and this is really his passions and he’ll look after it and love it (only you know) - then yes why not

If he doesn’t - good life lesson

I’m guessing he’s going to snaffle young British designer of the year 2038, and he’ll tell this story then!

Yes very easy to lose it steal.

@Atalune a parenting fail? Bloody hell.

Thats a lot of pocket money for a 9 year old tbh. Even after saving.

That aside, id let him buy it. You give him enough pocket money for this kind of saved money to be possible, so this is sort of a lesson for you too if you dont want him to have this kind of stuff.

[quote mamatocaptainchaos]@OnlyFoolsnMothers could you explain further please? I don't think he knows about 'status' at all![/quote]
I can only assume that @OnlyFoolsnMothers means he is only after the hat because Gucci is a big name and Gucci clothing is very popular with the rich and famous at the moment. He's not interested because he likes the type of hat it is, he just wants the logo so he looks like he's a rich and famous child. It's the same as the phase where people wore entire Burberry outfits and got a bad reputation because of it. He may not understand 'status' but he will see celebs wearing gucci and want to be like them and wear it too. Which is largely harmless but not exactly the best lesson to teach a child.