My teen asked for a $28 phone case that she didn't need. I used that as an opportunity to teach her about wants versus needs.

Like most teens, mine (not shown) asks for a lot of things. I didn't want turning her down to ruin our relationship though.

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• My teen asked for a $28 phone case, even though the one she had was perfectly fine.
• I turned her down, but decided to use this as an opportunity to help teach financial literacy.
• It was important for her to understand the why behind the decision and ways we might compromise.

Parenting is a constant balancing act.