What being a millenial mom really means

I recently found out that I am what society calls a ‘Millennial Mom’.

At first I was little offended because from what I read and heard, Millennials are considered lazy, overly sensitive individuals and not as tough as previous generations. For me, especially as a first time mother, I certainly did not want those words to describe me. Since being called a millennial mom is out of my control, I decided to embrace this label and figure out how to navigate modern day motherhood in a more positive way.

Here is what being a Millennial Mom means:

The World Wide Web: Some may think that we rely on social media on how to take care of our children, but there is more to the internet than getting advice from memes on Facebook.

The internet has helped us open our eyes and not become so close minded to people’s opinions. We are shaped by technology and we have resources right at our fingertips. Because of technology and the internet we are more mindful about things such as our health.

Who would have thought that we would have a watch that tracks our daily steps, calculate how many calories we burn and then have that information sent to our phone for more analyzation?

Selfcare: Now that maternal mental health is recognized more than ever, mothers are advocated to take care of themselves. Whether that is taking an extra 15 minutes in the shower, going out for a run or simply scrolling through a celebrity’s Instagram feed, we should do what we enjoy to feel energized.

I have said in the past that there is no time for myself. I have determined that this is not entirely true and reprioritized some things in my life. Even though I do not have family near me, I have a supportive husband and amazing friends to help me.

Providing some alone time does not mean we are selfish or not putting our children first but we are acknowledging that in order to take care of our family we need to take care of ourselves as well.

Different lifestyles: As millennial mothers, we have more options on how we live our lifestyles and raise our families. I always assumed I would be a stay at home mom because that’s what my mom did and I admired her for that.

As I got older, graduated college and became pregnant with our son, I realized then that for us to be financially stable as a family, both my husband and I would need to go back to work full time. This option worked for my family but this choice does not necessarily work for others, and that is okay!

Each and every one of us have a unique and different lifestyle so we need to look at it as just another option and not a negative decision.