Back-to-school shopping is in full effect. Of course, with the cost of school supplies steadily increasing, many parents are trying their best to save money in any way they can.
One mom named Amy Jackson vocalized how she feels about the way certain parents treat back-to-school shopping, specifically their kids’ school supplies. In a TikTok video, Jackson called out parents who weren’t willing to share their purchases with less fortunate students.
She called parents who put their kids’ names on school supplies ‘weird.’
“Not putting my kids’ names on the school supplies I bought because if someone should need them they should have access to them. Y’all weird as [expletive] for being so worried about school supplies getting used for another student…” Jackson wrote in overlay text in her video.
She explained that she wasn’t referring to personalized pencil boxes or fancy folders with animation on them that kids may have specifically picked out for themselves but other supplies that teachers put on the list to be used for the classroom — things like Clorox wipes, tissues, hand sanitizer, paper towels, glue sticks, and scissors.
While specific guidelines may vary from teacher to teacher, the gist is the same — they want general supplies all kids have access to during the school year.
“I have seen multiple people, at least three, make videos with this little 50-cent pack of crayons putting their kids’ names on it. If somebody were to need that pack of crayons, and the only pack the teacher could give them had somebody’s name on it, that’s a little bit embarrassing for that kid,” Jackson pointed out.
It’s fine if parents want to ensure that some of the supplies they buy for their kids are used only by them, but it shouldn’t be that way for things like a 50-cent pack of crayons or a 50-cent pack of folders.
“[Things] that are not specific to what the kid wants. Those little things are not important. Those little things don’t need names on them because they could go to help other people.”
Many parents have admitted that back-to-school costs are becoming too much.
According to a study by personal finance website WalletHub, more than 3 in 4 parents, or 79%, believe that schools ask them to buy too much for the back-to-school season. Eighty-six percent of parents think the cost of education is out of control, and most parents, or 52% of those surveyed, also expect to pay more for back-to-school shopping this year than last year.
“In comparing this year’s back-to-school study to last year’s, several notable changes stand out,” WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe told USA TODAY. “One significant shift was the increased concern among parents regarding the cost of education.” Happe also noted that 77% of parents are willing to go into debt for their child’s education, compared with 72% last year.
On average, families with children in elementary through high school spent about $890 on school supplies, the National Retail Federation (NRF) reported. This number has steadily increased since NRF started collecting data more than a decade ago.
Jackson insisted that she wasn’t referring to parents who cannot afford school supplies for their children.
“So many people are misunderstanding the point of this video. It’s not about the people who are struggling to get supplies for their kids. It’s about the few videos of people that I have seen doing school supply hauls, and they’re writing their names,” Jackson claimed.
She explained that she has an issue with entitled parents who don’t believe that other students in the classroom should have the same access and resources that their own children have. Communal school supplies are about so much more than what parents may initially think.
It’s about not letting low-income kids feel ashamed or judged because their parents couldn’t afford to buy certain things. It’s about making sure that every kid has the ability to succeed and not being selfish if you have the means to provide.
“When you buy school supplies like extra crayons, ten things of glue, those are going to have some extras for people that can’t afford it. For the kids that don’t have it. For the moms that might not be able to get everything on the list.” Jackson said, adding that it’s about using the extra supplies to give to other kids in the classroom.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.
