Yeah, I used to be considered kinda cool; meaning: people thought I had a sense of my own style, creativity, knew the latest music bands, kept up with fashion, watched the latest movies, and knew how to converse in the latest street language (never gangsta’ I never had that down). But now that my profession is babysitting, and I’m old I gots no street cred (so to speak). Let’s face it, now that you’re a parent you feel the same way; right?
You always wanted to be cool, and you swore you’d still be cool once you started a family of your own, and you could maintain your coolness in order to share it with your offspring. HELLO! How can your children EVER view you as being cool? Think about it; you change their diapers, you work to provide for them, you listen to kid music on the radio or Pandora or whatever your listening device is, you let your five-year-old dictate your wardrobe, your car is a small bus, you keep up on politics so that you can keep up with laws, finances etc that will effect your family. I mean really? How on earth can you be cool?
I mourn the boring days of my coolness: cliff jumping, working overseas, having the freedom to NOT have a permanent job so that I could work on a mini-series “The Stand” with my boyfriend, be a nanny in the Bahamas, be in New York for 3 months, travel via work to Europe, Canada, and the entire USA. I even took myself to Bermuda for Valentine’s one year. I stayed in a teepee with a Native American family during a powwow in Lodge Grass Montana. I mean, wow…I had fun, and every experience made me cooler, and smarter. But once you become a parent or settle into a career those days of freedom and coolness are over.
Look at the bright side though…even though you won’t be “cool” anymore you know exactly how to guide your children into the state of being cool for themselves. Just remember how you were at each age, and the way you felt; the awkwardness, love pain, guessing about your appearance, insecurity, and the need to be accepted. Take all that and allow yourself to really talk to your kids on their level. You’ll see, the stories you tell will enthrall them. Don’t preach just identify with them and give them a little snippet of your life’s experiences. They will turn to you for advice, love, and they’ll know that you’ll understand where they’re coming from.
OH YEAH, REMEMBER YOU HAVE THE COOLEST JOB EVER: PARENT!!!!!!
