:What Cool Moms Do:
It’s easy to be a cool mom
In my humble opinion, cool moms do three very simple things.
Listen openly, speak candidly - As Stella gets older, her opinions get stronger. And frankly the things we say get more and more annoying to her. But I work very hard to ask her how she feels about her experiences, big and small, and I validate those feelings. I want to foster a relationship of openness and honesty with her so that when she transitions into her pre-teen and teenage years, a time when the pull from peers is much stronger than from parents, she feels comfortable coming to me with her challenges. And from a young age when she’s asked me a question, I’ve given her an honest (and age-appropriate) response. This is what a period is and this is when and why you have one. This is a bra and here’s how it works. Some people are upset about the things our President says, and some people are happy. What do you think of what he said? Why? By asking her what she thinks of things and letting her express that position without judgement, I’m confident she feels like she has permission to ask me anything she wants. And thank goodness for that!
Prioritize yourself - I’ve written about this at length so I’ll keep this commentary short. If you show your kids that you make yourself a priority, they learn to do the same for themselves.
Shop local, buy second hand - Yeah, seriously! With the exception of my shirt and sunglasses, I’m head-to-toe local and second hand in these photos. If I were my kid, I’d think I looked pretty cool. Not to mention, when you support local businesses, you teach your children that being there for your community matters. When you shop second hand, you teach them how to be smarter with their money (and the environment).
If you haven’t tried buying second hand yet, here’s a little guide I put together to get you started. And you can find my two Pittsburgh holiday shopping guides right here to find just a few of my favorite local shopping destinations.
Do these three things and you’ll be well on your way to cool mom status. At least until everything you do sucks. But we all know there’s a phase when all kids are just a little out of their minds. It’s okay. Eventually they come around and want to borrow your booties.
Beanie Sister Epic | Jacket IRO via Poshmark | Mini bag Danielle Bernard Design | Jeans Anine Bing via Poshmark | Booties I won’t mention this problematic designer but purchased via eBay |
