I feel like the word “millennial” gets a lot of negative attention. People like to categorize our generation as being spoiled, uninformed and lazy. Someone born in the millennial generation is defined by Webster as “a person reaching young adulthood in the early 21st century.” Well that is me. I am a youngish mom born in the late 1980s attempting to do this parenting thing the best I can. Here are some fun facts about me that maybe some of you fellow Millennial Moms can relate to:
1. I am a different type of mom than my mother.
I try to skate the line of “no boundaries parenting” and being a complete helicopter mom. I want my kids to grow and learn on their own. I want them to learn from their mistakes, but I also want to protect them as much as possible. There has to be an in-between right? I like to think that my husband and me are our kids’ guardrails – keeping them on the road and safe but letting them drive the car they want and how they want.
2. I want to work but I need some work/life balance.
I want to work outside the home, but I need an understanding employer who values my family. I want to watch my kids interact with others, go to school and socialize but try my very best to be at every possible function I can to cheer them on.
3. Technology is in my DNA.
You see, I have had a cell phone since I was 13 years old. I have never driven a car without my phone, my alarm has been on my phone for the past 15 or so years (no need for an alarm clock), and I am used to using computers daily. I cannot imagine my day-to-day life without technology. This is an advantage now that I am raising my 11-year-old son who thinks HE knows everything there is to know about technology. I am thankful I can keep up with what apps he is using on his phone.
4. I need some me time.
This is a hard one to admit because well, we are moms, but I value my one or two hours a week or month to myself – to read, workout, sing as loud as possible in the car. I need that to be a happy mama! Looking back I saw moms in my life give everything they had to their families with their health, happiness and well-being put on the back burner. We can do better than that – our happiness directly affects our kids’ and partner’s happiness.
5. I love that we are all connected.
I love connecting with other moms through social media! Whether it is a friend whom I see regularly or someone I knew in middle school but now we have reconnected as moms, I love my community of moms. We are able to connect, ask questions, and laugh with people all in the comfort of our PJs and warm bed. We communicate differently than our mothers did; we text and Snapchat regularly, we post pictures of our kids on Instagram and we even send birthday invitations out electronically – because we can!
6. I live a pretty traditional life.
This one may be surprising. We enjoy being with our kids, game nights, and an occasional date night. Our family values are based on our kids’ well-being, attempting to maintain a happy marriage, and doing what we can to help our community.
As Millennial Moms maybe we are the wildflowers – we do things differently. We love big, care big, and fight for what we believe in. We want to see ourselves, our kids and our families happy. We are the future grandmas, and I think we are going to be pretty dang awesome!
