By April Dye, Contributor for US Daily Review.

It is hard growing up. Besides trying to navigate the constant barrage of information kids get as students there is also the same mass infiltration when it comes to the clothes kids wear.

I remember this even when I went to school. Jordache jeans, Polo shirts and Vans shoes, these were “hot” items when I was in school.

Today it is, for my daughter anyway, Justice brand girl clothes.

She often mentions to me, that the girls always ask her how come she doesn’t have ANY clothes from Justice. They just can’t believe she doesn’t even have one shirt.

One day while I was helping in the cafeteria, one of her classmates decided to bring the subject up with me. “I just can’t believe Elizabeth doesn’t have any clothes from Justice.” Why? I asked. “Because most of my clothes are from Justice.” My response is the one I give about a lot of things. “I’m not paying $30 dollars for a shirt she will wear maybe 6 months, I don’t pay $30 for a shirt for myself.” To which several of the girls started telling me how much their mothers spend on jeans and other articles of clothing. So I looked at the girls and said “Doesn’t she look pretty even if she doesn’t have any clothes from Justice?” to which they responded “YES!”.

I probably embarrassed my daughter even though she says I didn’t. I just find it sad that 8 year olds are so concerned about name brands and that somehow having that puts you up a notch compared to others. This is my thinking on the matter – we can afford to shop at Justice – but I don’t want to pay a certain amount for clothes they won’t wear but one season. Now with as tiny as my kids are they can wear shorts and short sleeved shirts maybe 2 years in a row but if I can get a shirt for $30 at one store and get 5 shirts for the same amount at another store, I am going to shop at the other store. My biggest thing about that is shoes. Kids feet grow so fast that forking over $30-60 for a pair of shoes I find ridiculous and yes I don’t spend that much on shoes for myself either. I prefer to spend the extra money I save at the grocery store and even there I usually buy the store brand.

I remember back when Air Jordan’s were “hot”. Kids were being shot in the street for their shoes. That is horrible. Why does society think name brands make us special. People will go into debt just to look good or have people notice. Celebrities are the worst. $1,000, at least, for a pair of heels!

Why certain brands become the “it” item, I don’t know. But reinforcing this mentality on our children is destructive especially if they think it is something to brag about and/or to poke fun or even question those that don’t.

We all like pretty things. We all want people to think we look nice. But I don’t think you have to spend a whole lot of money to achieve that. Besides, you can look pretty on the outside and be ugly on the inside. Let’s all choose to work harder to be prettier on the inside and a little less on the outside. What’s the old saying…”pretty is as pretty does”.

April Dye is a Christian wife and mother of two. She loves to hang out with family, read, watch movies and television, and her job. You can follow her on face book at facebook.com/AprilVestalDye and clardye.blogspot.com.