I May be a Parent But…
ByI had a very funny conversation with a friend this weekend. We both became moms around the same time, and we were catching up on our parenting adventures over the last two years. We found ourselves saying “Well, yeah, I’m a mom but…” several times. We realized that there are lots of things that other parents do (or at least stereotypes about parents) that we don’t do ourselves.
For example, I swear I will never wear “mom jeans.” (Heaven forbid there ever comes a day when my normal jeans are considered “mom jeans”! Perish the thought!) She swore that she would never get a “mom haircut.” (I second that.) And we both feel a stronger need now to hang out with friends or have girls-nights-out than we did before having a child.
And even though someone recently told me that I’m “rockin’ the whole mom thing,” which made me feel so OLD, I generally don’t feel old at all. I guess part of me thought I would become an adult when I had a child of my own, but I still feel like a kid myself sometimes.
How about you? Are there any parental stereotypes that you are trying to avoid? Have you changed in ways you thought you would since becoming a parent, or have you managed to stay mostly the same?
Also, if you’re looking for a little inspiration or just interesting reading, check out these two blog posts that friends of mine found:
If you ever find any great blog posts, let me know and I’ll post them here.
The first year or two after I had my son, I kind of lost myself for a while. Frumpy, cut my hair short, etc. But, now, watch out! I’m back. He’s almost turning four and I’ve lost weight, wear jeans from the Gap at least, grew my hair longer (and actually style it most days), and I swear to never lose myself again!
I too “let myself go” for a while. Being young and then being a mom and missing out on the cool things young 20-something girls do made me sad for a bit. But I bounced back and somehow snatched up an individual identity for myself. I wear higher waist jeans than I used to, but they are still bought at the hip stores.
I guess I’ve domesticated a lot, which is the main thing… crafting and cooking all the time. But I enjoy those things and I don’t care if it’s frowned upon by my single friends… after a long night they get a hangover and I get a new dress to flaunt while I’m bringing them soup!