Nobody said raising a child would be easy—or cheap! The costs that come with late adolescence are all dependent on too many factors ought of your control: where you live, your child’s interests, the genetic lottery, etc.
Teenagers are uniquely expensive compared to other age groups because they are exerting their independence. Unfortunately, they have no choice but to exert that independence on YOUR dime. They are too young to live on their own and too grown to have their every waking moment planned out for them. It’s a struggle.
But while you can never be one hundred percent prepared for the financial and emotional trials of raising a teenager, you can try your best, right?
Arming yourself with knowledge is the first step!
So without further ado, here are five of the hidden costs of raising a teenager. (Rest assured that there are many more.)
Sports
A child interested in sports can get costly, but a high schooler interested in sports should have you saving the equivalent of a mortgage payment.
Annually, high school parents can expect to pay over $1,100 a year on sports. This is a disappointing figure when you take into account burgeoning obesity rates in adolescents. Why can’t schools do more to support physical education in children?
It all comes down to budgets and balance. Spots on good sports teams are highly coveted, and a lot of parents are willing to pay these “activity fees” that accompany them. Then, the exorbitant amount of money required to participate can be allocated to less popular extracurricular activities. Sad, but necessary!
Therapy
As children grow and mature, so do their emotional complexities. Middle school and high school are terribly difficult times for a significant number of students. Sometimes, low self-esteem and social issues begin to manifest as anxiety or depression.
There is no shame in seeking help for your troubled teen. In fact, when you seek out a qualified therapist or counselor, you are doing the right thing for your child in most situations.
But even though it’s worth it the bill, sometimes the bill that comes with helping your child get better is surprisingly large. Even the best family health insurance plans may skimp on mental health for adolescents.
And speaking of therapy and self-health, you’ve also got to consider your own therapeutic needs, especially when you’re responsible for and taking care of other human beings. Many parents are so focused on putting their children first that they forget about self-care in the process. Take this time to invest in your emotional, physical, and mental health. Check out https://startwithreal.com/ for a holistic approach to tackling each of these areas simultaneously.
Fashion
Pre-teens begin spending a large amount of money on clothes, and the spending usually doesn’t slow down. Pre-teens start spending an average of $5-$8 a week on clothes, with costs taking off from there. After all, as styles and their bodies change, it is only natural that they should want to keep up.
Beauty (or Acne) Related Expenses
The beauty industry is absolutely MASSIVE, and it is only getting bigger. The monster that is the beauty industry encompasses skincare, haircare, makeup, and nails. Furthermore, the industry is increasingly marketing to younger and younger women and girls—as well as younger men!
Both genders and all adolescents (and even some adults) will likely grapple with the sneaky beast that is hormonal acne. In an already emotionally tumultuous period in your kid’s life, you definitely won’t want to see them suffer the social stigma they feel with bad acne (even though everyone else is going through it, too).
Fortunately, most acne problems will respond to cheap and effective treatments available at the drugstore. (Did I forget to mention cheap?!) So don’t get suckered in by luxurious, overpriced 16-step skin regimen just yet.
For more serious and persistent skin ailments, you might have to shell out some serious coins for a licensed dermatologist. Bummer!
Driving
Teaching your teen to drive comes sooner than you think! And it’s generally not any easier than you think it is going to be. In fact, if your experience is anything like mine, it might even be MORE terrifying than you expect it to be!
But fear not: if you want to spare yourself and your teen the mental trauma that comes with being in a cramped death machine together, you can outsource your problem to a qualified driving instructor.
It goes without saying that this will be more expensive than teaching your child yourself. However, if you and your teen just can’t see eye-to-eye when it comes to driving, maybe it’s worth the extra cash to get some time and space apart.
And when your teenager is finally ready to drive on their own (which comes sooner than you think), there is insurance to think about. Yikes!
