Hi everybody. I’m a single American mother, and I never thought a water cup could cause this much chaos in my home. But here we are.My daughter came home one day furious because I refused to buy her a $50 Stanley Cup—the trendy water mugs all the girls at her school suddenly seem obsessed with. Apparently, if you don’t carry one, you’re “poor,” “weird,” or an easy target for bullying. I understand how cruel teenagers can be, but I honestly couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that a branded cup was now a social requirement.
She told me she was being bullied because she didn’t have one. That broke my heart. Still, I asked myself what kind of lesson I’d be teaching if I spent $50 just to keep up with mean girls and trends that change every five minutes. I told her no. Calmly. Respectfully. Firmly.
