As a single father, I attempt to make my 13-year-old daughter happy. When she requested me to accompany her shopping for makeup, I thought it would be a fun bonding activity. She selected a few items, and we proceeded to the checkout.

The cashier scanned the beauty products my daughter had picked and replied, “That’ll cost $500.” My jaw fell. “You’re only keeping one,” I informed her sternly. She yelled, “I need all of them!” I felt ashamed as the entire store stared at me.

Suddenly, a consultant approached my daughter, grabbed her hand, and led her to a booth with less expensive selections. We left with a $50 bag of items, but she was upset. Later, I overheard daughter on the phone telling a friend that “Dad doesn’t care about me.” He only wants to save money: It wounded my heart because I genuinely care, but I can’t rationalize spending hundreds of dollars on makeup. How can I help her understand?