by Barbara Peterson

Created on: December 09, 2010

What Christmas gifts should you purchase for a girl who is 13, 14 or 15?

First of all, consider. Should you by her anything at all? I'm writing this in December 2010 and there's 10% unemployment, and those people that aren't unemployed have no way of knowing if they'll still be employed next year.

Don't put yourself into debt by purchasing extravagant Christmas presents.  If it has been your policy in the past to do so, now is the tiime to educate your girl in the realities of life. It's fine to protect them from the real world up until the age of 12, maybe even 13, but after that it's time they realized that their presents - indeed, everything you provide for them - comes from money you've earned by going to work. And when money is tight, you have to economize.

So what should you buy a girl this year? How about books from a used book store. Or if you do want to get an expensive gift, why not a Kindle, from Amazon.com. The prices have dropped drastically on those. Be aware of sticker shock, however - electronic books can cost just as much as their paper counterparts. But every day Amazon offers dozens of free books for download, so your daughtercan amass an excellent library for very little outlay.

Another aspect of the real world is that your daughter can no longer sit back, gossiping with her friends, trying on hairstyles, etc. in an effort to catch a boyfriend. In the first place a 13 year old girl is to young to have a boyfriend! Time to start pointing out to your daughter that catching a boyfriend is supremely unimportant compared to "catching" one's own self - what does she want to be when she grows up? A scientist? An explorer? An inventor? A professional athlete?

To use the slogan of Girls With Wings, girls need flight plans, not fairy tales. (And to that end, and if you purchase your daughter - or even your son, for that matter, a Kindle, you can also purchase such inspiring but extremely low priced ebooks such as The Lady and the Tiger...Moth.

Once they hit puberty, girls are very conscious of their appearance. But rather than fulfill the stereotype of a girl who buys dozens of shoes and dozens of dresses and dozens of cute tops, try to instill her the idea that she shouldn't follow the crowd. She should do her own thing, which means not wasting money on a vast wardrobe. It's one thing to look nice, it's another to be obsessed with an outfit for every day of the year and yet still believing that you don't have anything to wear.

Books are what your daughter - or your son - needs this Christmas. GIve her a wide variety of books and see what strikes her interest. What propels her into a future life full of promise and success?

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