Bought my 12 year old new sports shoes. He says they're the wrong brand and won't wear them

maple_balcony_814523 Jul 2026

His old pair split at the side in the first week of the rains, so I picked up a sturdy pair at the store near us. Good grip, his size, half the price of what his friends wear. He tried them on, said they were fine, and has since 'forgotten' them every PE day for two weeks. This is new. Until this year he wore whatever we bought. I don't want to spend three times as much on shoes he'll outgrow in six months, but I also remember being the kid in the odd shoes. Where did others land on this? Pay the difference, make him contribute, or hold the line?

4 comments

lilac_notebook_999323 Jul 2026
We made our daughter pay the difference from her birthday money when she wanted a particular bag last year. She paid once, and the next time decided the cheaper one was fine. Does he have any money of his own? Without that, 'contribute' doesn't mean much at 12.
saffron_window_125823 Jul 2026
We held the line on this and regretted it a bit. She wore them, but hated them all year. For shoes I'd pay the difference once and see.
teal_drum_837123 Jul 2026
With our older one it passed by about 14. She now buys the cheapest thing in the shop and tells us brands are a scam. Until then, we mostly bought the plain versions of whatever was popular, which seemed to be enough.
moss_veranda_829223 Jul 2026
There's a middle path we use. We fix a budget for the item, and if she wants something pricier she makes up the gap from pocket money or waits. It moves the argument from 'yes or no' to 'how much is it worth to you', which is a fair question for them to work out at that age.