By SUSIE CHANG AND MARGARET K. COLLINS STAFF WRITERS
Today’s high school and college students demand all manner of electronic gear. But how can you know what’s going to give your kid the edge – and what’s just draining your pocketbook?
“Your child is just shouting all this techno mumbo jumbo that you really don’t understand,” says Betsy Fast, editor of teen magazine Twist.
You can ask your child to slow down and explain the terms to you, she says, but be prepared for a sales pitch. Teenagers tend to sing the “everyone has it” chorus because they’re still highly vulnerable to peer pressure, Fast says.
The best way to arm yourself against the onslaught of back-to-school wishes? With some ideas of your own. Here are details on 13 gizmos and gadgets that will make both your child and you feel good about going back to school … along with translations of lingo you might not recognize.