The scene, like many others all parents face, could’ve been reenacted by my very own sister, seven years my junior, and mother. Except this time, the pleading would be accompanied by entreaties regarding better grades and more rigorous study habits. My sainted mother, exhausted from raising four children while working her own busy job, would normally acquiesce without a fight. If that had been me in the early ‘80s, at the height of my mother’s struggle to apply her anti-spoiling parenting techniques, there wouldn’t even have been a discussion. Her programmed response would have been: "Ano ka sinuswerte?" (Do you think you’re lucky?) or the eternal "Maybe next time." Life is not so kind to children of new parents.
Nowadays, kids seem to get everything. Xbox, iPod, PDA, digital cameras: the digital revolution seems to be gifting people in the under-18 category. Come Christmas, the people with the best stocking-stuffers will be the runts running around my aunt’s house on a sugar high.
The hectic weeks leading Christmas will be worse for those in charge of buying presents for these high-maintenance teenagers, their tastes running in the general direction of expensive and even more expensive. Parents, their eyes shot from reading too many credit card bills and report cards, will be busy scratching their heads, attempting to divine the meanings of nano and megapixel as they peruse their offspring’s extensive gift list.
There is, of course, another way. That is: to toss out the old list and come up with a new one. Go the retro route and actually surprise your kids with something new, something fun, something totally unexpected but completely in tune with their taste and needs.
The Hip section at Alabang Town Center (ATC), the mall of choice for local WASPs, caters to youths with elevated tastes but at more than reasonable prices. Find trendy pieces, classic (read: preppy) apparel, funky accessories and cute kitschy concept stores. "We’ve developed a retail space that’s geared specifically for the young set," said Javier Hernandez, general manager of ATC. "The merchandise in these stores move really quickly – so you will always find the newest stuff: the latest looks, the trendiest accessories, the coolest gear." And he’s not kidding. The brands range from British tastemaker Topshop to smaller stores in 50th Avenue, a circle of boutiques featuring everything from ethnic accessories to ironic T-shirts to dog accoutrements (there’s even a Santa outfit for your dog that’s just precious; and they have sizes!). "And if you get tired from shopping," adds Javier, "you can relax in the new sitting areas or just hang out in the modern couches set up by the Hip shopping section."
Skip the company-issue gifts (the sterile high-tech gadgets that kids salivate over but will quickly toss out for the next new thing come Christmas 2006) and opt for the more personal. Think of your daughter’s likes (the color pink, Ashlee Simpson, pretty shoes) and dislikes (tulle, long jackets, the color purple) and find something meaningful that she’ll enjoy. It’s the personal touch (and not the price tag, trust me) that makes gifts these days special. A one-of-a-kind jacket, a scarf embroidered with her name, a purse in just the kind of floral print she appreciates, a band T-shirt with a photo of his favorite record, a montage of his childhood photos silk-screened onto a bag, a bracelet that matches her favorite dress – these are things your kids will remember 20 years down the road when their own children are whining about robot fighter planes with voice recognition and mp4s with digital recording capabilities. Then just like parents before, you’ll roll your eyes and say with conviction, "Honey, we know best."