Perfectly Practical #112 - Be the Cool Parent

Attention.  Attention please.  I have an announcement to make:  I'm not that cool.

I wish I were cool.  But I'm not really. 

I am not the magnetic mom that all of the kids flock to, or the fun mom that all the kids want to ride in her car for field trips (my car is also not cool) or the glamorous mom that all the little girls want to be like, or the awesome mom with all of the latest toys and gadgets.  I am just not. that. mom.

I am also not the mom that has the "girlfriend" relationship with her daughter.  Diva and I have firmly planted our feet on either side of the mother/daughter relationship divide.  So again, not the cool mom.

But...

Every once in awhile, I get glimpses into what being a cool Mom would be like and every time it's because I took an active interest in my child and her interests/activities.

Here are a few ways to bump you up the cool parent ladder:

• Volunteer  - If there is a particular charity or organization that your child supports, why not volunteer together?  We go to the animal shelter about every 6 weeks to donate treats or newspapers and play with the animals.  This is fun for Diva but it also keeps her in touch with the needs of her community.
• Chaperone - Schools always need help driving the children from hither and yon.  It doesn't matter what you drive, just that you are willing to do it.  Often, Diva just wants me to share with her the experience of wherever we are going.   As a bonus, you get to hear all sorts of things from the backseat that you may not have heard from your child alone.  And a visible parental presence in your child's school is always helpful to both teachers and students.
• Participate - This could be anything your child is involved with, school, church, Scouts, etc.  If there is a fundraiser carnival, get in the dunking booth or if there are silly races, run them.  Publicly acting silly is not everyone's forte.  While I am not cool, I am silly - surely that counts for something.  Maybe half a cool point?...
• Include Friends - If you have  a regular activity (like going to the library), invite your child's friend to go with you.  Foster good relationships between your child and their friends.

As well as winning you some cool points, those activities do good things for your school, relationships, and community.

I "run" cross country with Diva's school.  I say "run" since I sort of jog/power walk except for that one day...

Diva's coach, we'll call her Major Pain*, had us doing our obligatory squats and lunges once we got back from our run.  Then Major Pain lined us all up to do sprint relays.  I said, she lined us all up, moms included.  We moms ran our hearts out and at the end I overheard one of the kids telling Diva, "Your mom is awesome!"

Oh yeah...bring on the cool points. 

This is part of Works for Me Wednesday & Mommy Solutions.

*Diva's coach is a friend of mine and I refer to her as Major Pain to her face.  She knows I appreciate her but feel very strongly about the pain levels she inflicts on us moms at Booty Camp, er, I mean cross country practice.