A Teenage Dilema!

As the children of my friends continue to grow older, I seem to struggle more each year with what to get them for special occasions. An abundance of cute and cuddly options are available for the younger age groups, but the teen age range tends to stump most people – including me! On my journey to locate some good gift options for this challenging age range, I dug deep to recall what I was interested in at that age. Once I dusted off those memories, I tried to locate the modern equivalent. The results? A blend of truly silly stuff and music related gadgets.

Let’s have some fun and start with the silly stuff first…

Flip Flop Socks – My practical nature immediately wonders why you would wear socks with flip flops. Isn’t this along the fashion forbidden lines of socks with sandals?! Even so, it sure seems like it meets the teen need to shock and fly in the face of convention… without creating a juvenile record! Available in colorful patterns, these socks are patterned after mittens with a single pocket for your big toe and a larger pocket for the other little piggies.

Recycled Candy Wrapper Bracelet – Perfect for the budding eco-friendly fashionista! Colorful candy wrapper, food packages and soda labels are recycled to create this colorful and chunky accessory. No need to worry about sticky stuff carried over from their previous life. These wrappers are all from company discard piles due to misprinting, over printing or discontinued items. Instead of heading to the trash, they are turned into fun accessories for sassy young things.

Temporary Hand Tattoos – Don’t let the name scare you! Think of when you used your pen to draw lips and eyes on your hand to create a talking friend… You know, the one where moving your thumb opened and closed the mouth of your little talking friend. Consider this the upgraded version! The decals are non-toxic and applied with water allowing zany teens to get creative and talk back to themselves!

Give me a beat… and let’s talk about some music related gadgets…

Urbanears Headphones – Anyone old enough to remember the Walkman should recognize the general style of these headphones. We were warned that the 80’s was making a comeback… This trendy new version comes to us from Sweden which in a teen world should make it SO COOL just because of its foreign origins. Of course, the full range of available colors ensuring that you can coordinate with their iPod does not hurt, either. The other bonus is that they are on par with modern music technology which means that they will deliver great sound quality to your young friend. The upside – you no longer have to hear their music blasting. The downside – they have a new method to pretend they did not hear you…

iSkin– For those lucky teens in your life who already have an iPhone (thank you Santa Claus), these accessory items might be a great gift option. Three different general styles offer a range of colors for selection. This means that your favorite teen can build a collection and be sure to coordinate their phone case to their outfit for the day making you the coolest ever!

Building Block Speaker– A great transition gift for the young man who still loves his Lego toys, but can also blog faster than a 40-year old! Designed to look like a Lego block, these tiny speakers plug into most iPod devices allowing music to be shared quickly and simply with friends. No batteries required and they come in a variety of colors in case you need to coordinate with your iPod.

Happy Shopping and let me know if you have other helpful suggestions!