I’ve had a bit of a revelation about my parents, all of our parents actually: Are you ready? They were cool before we even knew what cool was.
Actually, I’m not sure, but I think they might have invented cool.
All you have to do is flip through a few old photographs of your mom and dad when they were young and the truth comes bleeding off the page—they were the original hipsters and we but humble clones.
{My mom being all hip and awesome without even trying}
You know how they say the older you get the smarter your parents get? They aren’t kidding. My parents are practically a couple of geniuses at this point in my life and I’m starting to wish I had occasionally listened to them at some point prior to yesterday.
My mom for instance, was so hip and cool and ahead of her time that my mind is actually blown when I stop and think about it.
She raised us in the country close to nature and let us grow up free-range. She had a garden. And home schooled. And surrounded us with books. And cooked from scratch…all back when people were telling her she was crazy instead of writing blog posts about this being some kind of ideal.
{My mom and two oldest brothers}
And my dad totally had a ‘stache from like 1970 to 1997 before moustaches had overrun the whole entire world and were “tastefully” {cough} plastered on everything. He loved photography and had a black room set up in the house to develop his own film. No Instagram filters needed.
He published his own work from home like some kind of indie artist before “indie artist” was even a thing, owned his own bookstore for a while, and sold and collected vintage beer cans for a while too {and is probably not pleased at all right now that I’m putting any of this on the internet because he’s way too cool for that}. Also, he still has way better taste in music than me—which is annoying.
So you know what I was doing while my hip parents were gardening and developing their own photography?
I was rolling my eyes.
Because my parents were just soooooo weird and annoying and I wanted to go to a “real” school and eat Happy Meals and live closer to civilization instead of being tortured by these crazy people who obviously.didn’t.know.anything.
And you know what everyone my age is now doing? Everything my parents did back when they obviously didn’t know anything.
I stand corrected.
My parents are awesome. They know everything.
At least my kids will recognize right away that I am the embodiment of wisdom and awesomeness and won’t roll their eyes for 28 years like I did. What a relief.
Outside Air 
I know my parents were/are awesome. But I could have totally done without the vegetarian-tofu phase. 🙂
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Ya, tofu isn’t going to happen for me…I’ll never be that hip :]
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Oh no, he too will be ‘rolling his eyes’… some things never change. And, he too will love, appreciate and finally ‘understand’ his mama someday (as you do now). It is funny, how parents are viewed… and ‘old people’ (of which I am one). You see some old duffer or biddy and have to remember they were young, cute, sexy, hip… whatever… and did the same things we do (or did)… God forbid! That parenting was a lot of work, fueled by love (especially with all those kids) and I know Baby is in for it too.
I see now where your beauty comes from… I love those saddle shoes and I want that typewriter.
Also, don’t kid yourself, he may not admit it, but inwardly your dad is pleased to be part of your blog today.
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I’m sure he’ll do his share of eye rolling…I’ll just roll my eyes back at him :] I love her saddle shoes and typewriter too…if only she had kept them!
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Ha! Sounds a lot like my childhood. I told someone recently that I was the weird kid growing up. They told me that today I would be the most popular kid in school! At the time, popularity would’ve sounded cool, but I’m glad now that I was taught to be fearlessly different.
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“Fearlessly different”—I like that…it’s scary but good to know who you are and to be yourself even if people think you’re weird for it sometimes along the way.
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Haa! I’m a hipster!! Who knew?? 🙂
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Saddle Shoes don’t lie!
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True, so true Ted..what more can be said? Have a great holiday weekend. 🙂
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You too, Cheryl!
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Who knew you were just ahead of your time back when I thought you were crazy :]
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Love this! Funny how I did the same thing as a homeschool country kid! The most ironic part is I am totally raising my kids that way now 🙂
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I know, I want to raise my kids the same way too…I’m sure they’ll give me the same pushback as I gave my parents but hopefully they understand and appreciate it someday :]
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