There seems to be a window of time in which you're not too young to be some silly uneducated girl who got herself knocked up and is now living on welfare handouts, and not too old to be, well, old, and if you're somewhere in that window and have a kid, for some reason people tend to think you're a "cool mum".
Let me give you some incredibly bizarre and completely misinformed reasons why people have sometimes labelled me as a cool mum:
Because I am under 30.
Because I don't have a proper job and am STILL at university (ten years and counting).
Because I had green hair.
Because I play music I like in the house.
Because my daughter says/does/wears weird/funny/amusing things.
Here is the reality behind those reasons:
I am under 30.
I am not earning much money and get asked questions like "So when are you finally graduating?" A LOT. I am also maybe avoiding entering the real world.
I do strange things with my hair sometimes.
I am selfish and have a low tolerance for listening to kids' music.
That's all her.
In case you aren't aware, I'm going to let you in on a little secret - there is nothing cool about being a mum. There are lots of things about it that are rewarding, and fulfilling, and joyful. Motherhood is many things but it is never cool.
Giving birth is not cool. Waking up every 2 hours to a screaming baby is not cool. Being vomited or urinated on is not cool. Feeling irrationally jealous of all your childless friends who can eat a meal from start to finish is not cool. Spending days where you might literally not have any adult contact or company is not cool. Dealing with tantrums is not cool. Getting rid of head lice is not cool. You get the idea.
Don't be disappointed though. The goal of having a kid, after all, shouldn't be to be cool - if it is, I suggest much cheaper, less painful options, like going sky-diving or getting a pet pig. Being a cool mum is not going to make your kid turn out any smarter or less annoying. It won't guarantee that they'll lead interesting lives or that they won't end up liking Billy Joel. It won't make you any more capable of raising a human. It won't make you a better person.
Nowadays if someone calls me a cool mum, I reply by telling the truth - that I'm as cool and uncool as every other mum. I have also dyed my hair a more natural colour, which makes me significantly less cool, for which I am grateful.
