Millennial Moms

The cool thing about motherhood is that it goes back to the beginning of time and it exists among all species. In a sense, we are not talking about anything particularly novel. It's ancient. It's primitive. And yet, among us humans, it does look a little different generation-to-generation. Millennials have a lot of defining characteristics, but I choose to look at most of them as positive qualities. My inspiration for this blog came from this article and its ideas.

1. Motherhood in the Technology Age. While baby monitors have been a thing for a while, the new ones connect to Apps that allow you to view baby from your smart devices. You want to know what fruit or vegetable your baby's size represents, download an app from the app store and it will tell you all about it! We have registries on Amazon that basically act as a centralized hub for many retailers and make the entire process from adding to purchasing very easy. We don't have to go scan items in with guns in brick-and-mortar stores anymore. Frankly, who has the time? Also, if I want to read the latest pregnancy magazine or book, I simply download it in a matter of seconds. Don't even get me started on the ultrasound capabilities and other medical advances. I mean, we found out we were having a baby girl in Week 14. I've leveraged Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and this blog to document my pregnancy for whomever cares. I've used Pinterest for inspiration along the way. We truly are a social media culture, and I love it.

2. Educated Mamas. As time passes, more and more women are getting degrees and entering the workforce. It isn't the Mad Men age anymore when women's predetermined role was to be a mom and tend to the house. Watching my mom do it with three of us, I know that is hard work in and of itself, but fewer of us are taking that path. Working moms are numerous and we exist in much less of a shame culture than decades before us. If you've read Lean In, then you know women, now more than ever, are striving to balance it all. And why, not? With traditional gender roles blurring more than ever, there's no shame and reevaluating what works best for your family dynamic!  The good news: there's no wrong way, just your way! Because social media has expanded our networks, it also expands our sphere of influence. Your opinion matters now more than ever because you have a larger platform and audience. With that comes an increase in responsibility to be culturally aware and sensitive that not everyone is doing life the way you do. That's a good discipline anyhow.

3. Role Modeling.  Sure. Absolutely. I agree. There are plenty of examples of poor role models out there in 2015. I mean, we don't want our girls thinking the Dash Dolls are cool people to idolize. And while I don't care for Hillary Clinton, I like that I live in a world with a true female presidential contender even if I not-so-secretly hope she falls on her face. Still, as a female, I enjoy that she commands attention and credibility in a male-dominated political world. Moms also have an opportunity to be stronger role models. Because our spheres of influence are larger, how we represent ourselves to others can be a major factor in shaping our reputations and make or break careers.