Apparently, a mom’s coolness is directly related to the age of her children. The minute Gia turned 12 and a half years old, my status changed.   Suddenly,  my normal use of words and phrases like “IG” (instead of Instagram) or “you feel me” when I’m trying to emphasize the importance of wearing underwear and brushing teeth to Jack are, according to Gia, my attempts to “be cool.”

That couldn’t be further from the truth.  I’m a mom, just trying to survive in the jungle of elementary and middle schools, extracurricular activities, work, household, marriage…. life, really.

Awhile back, someone posted a “share this” type of FB post and tagged what was described as “all the cooler moms.”   I was not  included.  I’ll admit, it stung a little.  Okay, well, more than a little.   Just because I love coffee and active wear and singing rap lyrics that have no application to my daily life, doesnt make me uncool, does it?? Ha!

I made myself step back, consider the source, told myself to settle down. The thing is, ever since I had kids, I keep waiting for “it” to happen.  You know, that moment you cross over,  enter the uncool stratosphere.   There’s no recovering from that.   I don’t know why this even bothered me, except that I feared waking up, looking in the mirror one day and seeing some stranger in mom pants and clothes 3 years past their style prime staring back at me.

The truth is, anyone who is not a female and does not have children of one’s own,  cannot possibly have an inkling of what it’s like to be a mom in the most real form of the word, and therefore (I decided), has a skewed opinion of what a “cool mom” is and holds no merit with me. When he climbs into stirrups to have internal organs manipulated once yearly in the name of  cervical health, I’ll listen.  Not his fault, but still… no clue.  This is what I told myself to feel better.  Coping mechanism.  To be fair, I realize that gender is not a choice.  In my opinion, though, we should all try to understand the different challenges each face.

Moving on, I decided that it was unfortunate for anyone go through life without the experience of waiting  in the middle school car rider line for the 13  year old with the 10-year-old in the car trying to “hold it” and yelling that he’s in a “9 line bind” due to a sudden onset of diarrhea, which, I suspect, was perpetrated by those hot Cheetos I warned him not to eat.  The mad dash down Lakeland Drive to the closest gas station was an intense experience alone, thanks to the never-ending construction and stop lights every 500 feet.  And wouldn’t you know-  we caught ALL the red that day.  Experiences like this are what moms DO.  This is what our lives are about – crazy, disastrous happenings, interspersed with sweet moments that we cling to because those are the reasons we love our children so much.  We’re in constant pursuit of those pretty mom moments!

But, back to the point of this post. Moms often deserve more credit than they actually get.  I know mine certainly does.   Moms do so much “behind the scenes” type stuff.  Moms are incredible at making things happen.  We plan, organize, network, carpool, purchase, workout, facilitate, negotiate, coordinate, photograph, post, glorify, maintain, sustain, care.   I dare say, moms could rule the world! If you’re a mom, doing any of the above listed things, youre pretty cool, IMO, so go on and brush ya shoulders off.  (See how I just flexed my coolness with that abbreviation? haha).

Today, my wish is that the ratio of sweet moments to potential annihilation is 2:1 for all moms.  I hope that everyone sees the value in their mom as well and shows that love and appreciation in the form of a hug, a phone call, maybe coffee or even a trip to Target.  Take time to appreciate the time you have with your children and your mom- and make the most of those “sweet” moments.

Photo creds:  myself

*Yes – Im a photographer also- it’s part of the mom qualification process.  The title of the featured piece is “Naked Freezer Burned Great Value Brand Waffles Surprise Find.”  No one will claim responsibility but I highly suspect the 10 year old, given his history.