What a cool mom I am

No matter how many times we hear parenting experts tell us that it’s not our job to be our child’s best friend, as moms we still have this innate need to be “liked” by our kids.

We can’t help it.

Sure, our kids like us when they’re little. What do they know? We’re the ones who are there with the Band-Aids, ice cream cones and birthday presents. We let them help us decorate Christmas cookies, set the table and fold towels. We’re cool when the kids are under 5.

My fear was about when my kids were in middle school and high school — which is where they are now. Would I be the mom that my kids and their friends would joke with and talk to, or the one they all just kind of stayed away from and ignored?

My first inkling that my kids might like me came when I started noticing some of my CDs missing, and not just any CDs. What I was missing were my Eagles, Journey, AC/DC (I know — you’d never guess) and Collective Soul. When I asked my son about them, he sheepishly looked at me and said, “I’ve got them. Those are pretty cool.”

Score one for the mom.

Once I realized Justin really liked Journey, I decided to go for bonus points: “You know,” I said to him, “I saw Journey in concert back in 1982, and I think I still have the t-shirt.”

The reaction in his eyes told me I’d gotten more points, so I went in for the win: “Do you want it?”

Bam.

Of course, the shirt is 25 years old and didn’t fit my son — who is four inches taller than I am now — but he’s got it pinned up on his wall, his own little tribute.

Winning my daughter over was much easier. I got her a prepaid cell phone for Christmas to teach her how to monitor minute usage, and let her wear a little bit of makeup to school. (Of course my idea of “a little bit” differs greatly from her’s — we’re still working on that one.

The best evidence that I have a good relationship with my kids comes on those nights when I walk in the door and they both rush to tell me about the funny things that happened to them — rather than the “I need xxx for school” — or want to share a funny video, a favorite YouTube entry or just want to sit and watch a movie with me. Even better, when we can kid around and know it’s all in fun.

I think it’s safe to say I made it to “Cool Mom” status.

Sehr Gut (very good)

This post kicks off what usually turns out to be an On The Street summertime trend — food. Nearly every summer event involves or revolves around food. There’s St. Jude’s corn festival, Blairstown and Lisbon’s Sauerkraut Days, Atkins and Fayette’s Watermelon Days, Solon Beef Days, Walker’s Pickle Days, Strawberry Fest in Strawberry Point and St. Ludmilla’s Kolach Festival. Not to mention the picnics at Jazz Under the Stars, Marion By Moonlight and Friday night movies in Iowa City.

I learned early on in this gig, to bring cash to these events, or something to nibble. It’s that or leave with a grumbling tummy.  

In the case of the Amana Colonies Maifest, I just made sure to eat a big breakfast so I wasn’t starving. It would have been hard to ask people about their favorite German food without salivating otherwise.

Or maybe not. When I really think about it, I’m not so sure that I’m a big fan of German food. Shh. Don’t tell my grandma. My maiden name is Bossert, German for “the burner” (apparently way back when my ancestors got a kick out of burning and pillaging villages). And my dad’s side of the family took a lot a pride in their German heritage. But, not the extent that we ate a lot of German food. To be honest, I can’t really name many German dishes. All that comes to mind right now are brats and sauerkraut. And I can tell you I’m not a big fan of either.

A quick Google search reveals that there is more to the country’s dinner plate than just those two items though. And turns out I like a lot of them. According to a Web site called Travels through Germany foods that I think of as American got their start in Germany. Deviled eggs for example. I LOVE deviled eggs (it’s an odd exception to my anti-mayonnaise stance). Apparently hamburgers and meatloaf have Germanic roots. Then there’s potato pancakes, German chocolate cake, soft pretzels …

OK. I better stop. My stomach is starting to growl.

It IS easy being green

I haven’t always been green, and by some people’s standards I’m still not quite there. But I do try, and I am, thankfully, encouraged by both my kids to try a little harder. (It’s always easier when the kids are already on board and I’m not trying to change my habits as well as theirs.)

My first real attempt at going green came before the catch phrase “going green” had even been developed. I was still a young reporter in Fort Dodge working on what would become one in a series of four-part series’ on recycling. It was the early 1990s and Iowa had recently enacted legislation mandating that county landfills decrease their intake a certain amount each year, meeting an ultimate goal of 50 percent fewer materials being taken to the landfills by the year 2000. Recycling was a major part of that reduction, and much education had to take place.

In order to fully understand what I was writing my family started recycling. Of course, this was back in the days when all that could be recycled was newsprint and things on white paper – advertising slicks were not acceptable – corrugated cardboard, some plastics and clear glass.

As the years went on more and more people started talking about topics that were hitting close to home: global warming; greenhouse effect; carbon footprints.

Then something happened. I started paying closer attention to the electricity I was using, the temperature on the thermostat, the types of materials I was buying. As the guidelines for recyclables expanded, so did the contents of my recycling bin. Now we recycle more than we throw away.

Are we perfect yet? Not by a long shot. I still use the old-fashioned lightbulbs, I still turn the furnace up a little if I get too chilly and every now and then I find myself buying something that comes in a Styrofoam container. But the kids are turning out the lights, shutting down the computer and turning the water off while they’re brushing their teeth.

I’d say we’re off to a really good start.

– Molly