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The Coolest Mom?
By Gwen Morrison
It's very easy to understand how young girls today can feel so insecure about their appearance, when here I am, at my age, still considering how I will look to the other moms at the bus stop.
I know it's absurd to think that I still want to be "cool" when I am pushing 40, but the thought does cross my mind. I am ashamed to say that there are times when I wonder why I was never with the "in" crowd. Even as an adult, I still wonder, "Who are the cool ones?" and "Why are they so cool?" "Who told them they were cool?" and "How do I
get there?"
I tell my teenage daughter to love who she is, because she truly is beautiful, but then I go upstairs and scour my face for the latest wrinkle. It's completely hypocritical. Why do I feel such a need to fit in, when I have been the same me for all these years?
One day, I decided that I needed to figure out what was cool. I experimented with my make-up, added some liner to my lips and curled my blonde locks. Instead of the usual "mommy outfit," I put on my nicest jeans and a tight red T-shirt. For the finale, I tucked away the tennis shoes and squeezed into my black 2-inch heels.
Could I pass for cool? Would people look at me differently? The make-up, the hair, the outfit ... surely the check out girl on register number nine at the new Wal-Mart will notice the new me.
(I know that a cool person would have chosen Saks over Wal-Mart, but the practical side of me thought it best to kill two birds with one stone. I could try out my coolness and also pick up the deodorant for my teenage son. I do love to multi-task is that cool?)