Lifestyle

7 Ways Millennials Are Reinventing What It Means To Be A Mom

by Courtney Hall

Millennial moms know how to get sh*t done in all aspects of womanhood, motherhood and life.

All of those facets may go hand in hand, but our generation is defining a new era and paving the way for our future daughters to follow in our progressive footsteps.

Millennials are actively showing the world moms aren't dowdy and can do it all. We're redefining the roles of motherhood and setting the course for strong, smart and independent women and mothers everywhere.

A group of mothers has never been so culturally, economically and intellectually diverse.

Millennial moms are kicking a lot of ass right now, and I couldn't be more proud to be lumped into this celebrated, wonderful and accomplished group of women.

1. Millennial moms can do it all.

Basically, anything Millennial moms do is socially acceptable.

Looking back on eras where a woman's place was predominately in the household, it's both refreshing and empowering to know mothers can now juggle any number of hats.

We can be career women, board members, teachers, scholars or students, all while carrying our tots and fabulous diaper bags on our hips.

It's no longer taboo for a woman to show pride in her career, studies or ambition.

We can have all of that as well as children and a family life. Our generation is proving to the world we can be women, mothers and complete badasses, too.

The workforce is no longer a man's world, and taking care of children isn't strictly a woman's job. We can not only do both, but also succeed at it.

2. Millennial moms are independent.

We Millennial moms don't need anyone to take care of us or our children. More and more women are electing to give birth or adopt children while they are single or unmarried.

Women are also cutting their losses in bad marriages, abusive relationships or even "the wrong "relationships and raising their children on their own. This is because they know they can, and they know they will.

Our generation has continually been taught that independence is empowering, and we can do whatever we set our minds to. No mountain or hill is too big for us to climb.

We are the women taught to get an education and to learn to take care of ourselves first.

If we want to let people take care of us, it's because we choose to, not because we need to.

We aren't afraid. We were born to do this.

3. Millennial moms are working to empower each other.

With so many parenting styles out there, it's easy to be judgmental and snarky, but we aren't.

We believe in empowering every type of mother and glorifying the one trait we all share: being mothers.

Millennial moms seek to lift one another up and praise all different parenting styles, whether we agree or disagree.

Whether you are the vegan mom, the breastfeeding mom, the 5-second rule mom or the totalitarian mom, we all love you for just being a mom.

We find common ground in the fact we are all trying to make it, trying to give our children wonderful lives and trying to make the most of our choices, situations and futures.

4. Millennial moms are technologically-savvy.

Growing up in the era of computers, cell phones and everything social media, Millennial moms are just naturally tech-savvy.

This allows us to help our children in more ways than one. We have the best baby monitors and limitless information at our fingertips anytime we need it.

We are more informed and more connected, and we make certain to take full advantage of everything positive that comes from modern technology.

5. Millennial moms are open-minded.

Millennial moms know the "modern" family is not limited to any type of cookie cutter.

Some families have two moms. Some families have one mom. Some families are families in the traditional sense.

Millennial moms understand none of these factors make them any less or more of a family than the other.

Millennial moms are the products of women's liberation, divorce, equal pay and equal rights, gay marriages and modernization.

We are forward-thinking, progressive and, most importantly, open.

This means we will raise our children with those same qualities: open mindedness, equality for all, hard work and determination. Millennial moms are the coming-of-age humanists, and we support these facts.

This also means we Millennial moms are likely going to be more understanding and accepting when our children get in trouble, want to experience life or have their own ideas about their paths.

This is how I hope my sons remember me: fair, open, honest and accepting.

6. Millennial moms are beautiful.

We are young — and with youth comes beauty — but we know how to rock being a mom.

We don't have any frumpy muumuus, and we aren't going out in curlers.

You'll see us in our best at the grocery store. You'll see us teetering in heels on conference calls and feeding our babies peas. You'll see us unstrapping our dresses in the park to breastfeed our babies.

We are no longer confined to the image of a dowdy, frumpy person just because we are mothers.

Now, we celebrate the most beautiful gift we've been given by wearing our best, doing our best and striving for better things.

Think Mila Kunis, Jessica Biel and Kate Middleton. They do it all, while wearing their best, looking their best and feeling their best.

7. Millennial moms are real.

We are expected to do it ourselves. We have seen the American Dream live, die and eventually reform itself.

We are the keepers of our own American dreams, and we are living the lives we have chosen.

We are raising our children the way we, as mothers, deem fit.

We do not look to the past for examples. We do not have a guide book. We depend on ourselves. We think for ourselves. We experience motherhood for ourselves and draw our own conclusions. We form our own rules and boundaries.

Millennial moms know it's okay not to shower sometimes.

Millennial moms know it's okay not to pretend everything is perfect all the time because it isn't.

Millennial moms know it's fine to feed your kids Chef Boyardee for lunch now and then, and if you go out with Cheesy Mac on that gorgeous Marc Jacobs Sweater, other moms will laugh and, above all, understand.

Millennial moms know we can be supermoms, but we also know each and every mother is human.

We make mistakes. We learn from trial and error. We are all wandering down the motherhood path, both blind and somewhat scared, and that's totally okay.

We get it. We understand. We empathize, and we help one another.

And you can never have too much woman-on-woman support. You can never have too much mom-to-mom encouragement. And, you can never be too proud to be a Millennial who is also a mother.

Keep on rocking that sh*t, ladies. Remember: We are a different breed.