The coolness factor

No one wants to be "uncool". Lets face it, when you become parents it takes some serious work to stay "cool". We can all relate because at some point in our lives our parents were not cool. Usually it is quick lived and can be just a year or two. For me it was when my mom dropped me off at soccer practice when I was 8 in a gold painted boat of a vehicle that was loud, had nothing but an AM radio, and that was purely not cool. Did my mom realize she was not cool in that car or did she simply not care? For those of you who know her, she really didn't care.

As you get older it's harder and harder to stay in touch with what is cool and what is not. Luckily when you are in your teens you get to do your best to dress your parents with the hippest clothes. This makes them a little cooler. You get to teach them the "lingo" of cool sayings. Today it would be "thats hot" or "that's tight". There are even websites dedicated to trying to keep parents up on the cool lingo.
Unfortunately until your kids are in school, its pretty tough to realize whats cool and whats not.

Black socks with shorts. Not cool. Dad has to be honest and say there have been nights when he gets home from work, changes into his shorts and tshirt....and ends up having black socks, shorts, and sneakers. So uncool.

Mom jeans. Shelby is petrified of ending up with mom jeans in her rotation. She isn't sure how women end up wearing them...she just knows she doesn't want them. Please, PLEASE let Shelby know if she ends up with them.

Saying uncool phrases. Dad's father used to say "whatever floats your boat". Dad always thought it was the most uncool saying in the world. Unfortunately the phrase has now made it into his regular use. Not sure how, but he catches himself saying it.

Minivans. Such an uncool vehicle. Today Dad picked up a new minivan for mom. Despite dad always saying he would never get a minivan....he got a minivan. Mom is beyond excited about driving the minivan and storing all the groceries in the back. Dad also loves the space and idea of the minivan.








At this point we are realizing that we have a good 12 years before Charlotte can help us become cool again. We are going to need your help and guidance to ensure we don't get any more uncool. Those of you with children in their teens we would like to borrow them from time to time to let us know how we are doing. Thank you.