School of Generalizations: The A-Z of Being a Millennial Mom

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“Millennial” might have negative connotations for some people. We’re lazy! Entitled! Self-obsessed! Ouch.

Deep down, we all know generational generalizations are gibberish. It’s absolutely impossible to lump people together based on what year they were born, or more ridiculously, the decade+ they were born. Some guidelines put both 30-year-old me and my 17-year-old niece in the millennial category. Uh, what?! Okay, full disclosure: those same guidelines usually categorize me as an “aging millennial.” Sad face.

What about the millennial mom? According to the internet, approximately one in five moms (22%) are millennial moms, accounting for approximately 9 million people.  For the purposes of this blog post, I’m going to pretend that’s not too many people to generalize about and highlight what a lot of us have in common.

The truth is, I’m really happy to be a mom right now. We have access to a lot of resources (that can actually make things harder sometimes, though) and cool baby gear, and gadgets. Want to get to know us? Study up on the A to Zs of being a mom in this much-maligned, often misunderstood but, let’s face it: super awesome generation.

Millennial Moms: A-Z

A is for Avocado. Put it on everything. Including your hair and face. But mostly in your mouth, because if you get a really perfect one, you don’t want to waste it.

B is for Baby Led Weaning. Your baby’s first food was probably a spear of avocado, see above.

C is for Coffee. All the coffee. Probably fair-trade, brewed at home. C might also be for cliques. Yeah, they still happen even though we’ve been out of high school for a while. At least now you hopefully don’t care if the ‘mean girls’ like you or not.

D is for Dog. You have one or you want one. Are you team mutt or team Labradoodle? D is also for (fancy) Doughnut (donut?). You liked something simple like strawberry glazed as a kid. Your kid likes blueberry-lavender with lemon curd.

E is for Emails. You get updates daily on everything from shoe sales to upcoming toddler yoga classes. Likely less than 1% of your emails are from real people. Unless you’re on some committee at your kid’s school, in which case you can’t even see your Inbox anymore because it’s filled with replies about the upcoming nut-free, allergy-friendly bake sale.

F is for Farmer’s Markets. Aka the dog and baby parade. Aka millennial mom mecca, even if all you buy is a cup of coffee (you bring your own eco-friendly mug, natch.) F is also for Fashion. We dress ourselves pretty well (capsule wardrobe, anyone?) but our kids look like they just stepped off the tiny tot runway.

G is for Group. Facebook groups, new mom groups, walking groups, play groups. We like groups. Want to join?

H is for Healthy. We all want our families to be healthy. Just don’t ask us to define it in front of each other or a brawl might break out. At least a physical altercation can be considered exercise, right? H is also for Homemade. Crackers, soap, bubbles. Yup, you’ve made it at home. Or at least tried.

I is for Instagram. Did you just stumble upon a ‘gram-worthy wall? Throw your kid in front of it and snap, snap, snap! If your kid is old enough, have them take the photo. Who needs an Instagram Husband when you have an Instagram Kiddo?

J is for Juggling. You know the truth that work/life “balance” doesn’t really exist. It’s a juggle. Maybe you also know how to actually juggle stuff. Millennials have lots of hidden talents.

K is for Kale. You either eat a lot of it, think you should or think it’s vile (but you keep that to yourself.) K is also for Kiddo. You either love that word or hate it with the fire of a thousand suns.

L is for Lemons. Life gives you a lot of lemons. You make lemonade. Or you give a slice to a baby and enjoy a laugh. Just don’t forget to film it for YouTube.

M is for “Me Time.” You want it, you need it. Whether you get it is another story… M is also for the dreaded (and celebrated) minivan. M is also for Music. We support music education and we try to get our kids into our favorite bands when they can barely hold their heads up.

N is for Netflix. From Daniel Tiger to Orange is the New Black, our accounts get a workout.

O is for Organic. You consult the Dirty Dozen list in the aisles at the grocery store to confirm which fruits you don’t *have* to buy organic, and which ones you should.

P is for Pinterest. You planned your wedding with Pinterest, your kids’ birthday parties, your fall capsule wardrobe. At 10pm with a glass of wine, Pinterest is where the party is. P is also for Parenting Style. Whether you know it or not, you have one. It’s likely a combination of a few. And some awesome stuff you made up thrown in too.

Q is for, you guessed it, quinoa. It doesn’t matter if you know how to say it or spell it, you probably eat it. Or think you should be.

R is for Research. 4-8 hours and several ebooks later, and you’ve figured out what mattress you want for your toddler.

S is for Selfie. You refuse to be one of those moms who never shows up in photos. Selfie with your toddler on the playground? No shame here. S is also for self-care. (See M is for Me Time, above.)

T is for Target. Need I go on? Whether you’re there once a year or once a week, it’ll come for you. And all your money. T is also for texting, TGINOT (Thank Goodness I’m Not on Tinder) and toast. Toast as in: your kid will ask for it. You will make it wrong. You will try again. Chaos breaks out. Toast will be eaten by the dog. The end.

U is for Un-follow. Think we overshare on social media? You have a choice – just unfollow (#byefelicia) U is also for Unplugged. We try our best to strike a balance for our kids and ourselves and the time we spend on the technology always at our fingertips.

V is for Vocal. We are moms, hear us roar. We have an opinion about everything. Which is fine because we’ll find friends who agree with us, or at least who like to argue/discuss everything with us. I’m expecting lots of “you forgot _____!” “This post is totally ridiculous and only geared towards xxx moms” et cetera in the comments, fellow millennial moms. Don’t let me down.

W is for Whole Foods. Two dark chocolate bars – one of them has quinoa in it so it’s healthy, right? – and a fruit squeeze for your toddler was $37 but it was worth it. Probably.

X is for Xanthan Gum, Xylitol... You know what these things are. Or you’re about to Google them and whether they’re safe for your kid or if you should start a petition to get them removed from products. (See R is for Research, above.)

Y is for Yelp. To find the next brunch spot where you’ll spend most of the time focused on your kids’ plate. Anyway, you’ll know you’re there when you walk up and see 57 strollers out front.

Z is for the reality that we don’t know what “Zzz’s” are anymore. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be “on” and accomplish a lot. This might mean we don’t fall into bed until it’s well past what should be our bedtime. Z is also for Zebra, as is the case in every. single. children’s book.

Don't be shy: What would you add or change on this list? In the end - just because we're moms of a similar age doesn't mean we have anything in common. Except this: a fierce love for our kids and a desire to create a wonderful world for our family.

Contributing Sister Site and Author

MeredithBT
About {Meredith}

I grew up in a small town in southern Vermont but was lucky to spend a lot of time traveling across the country and around the world, where I discovered that I’m a city girl at heart despite my rural upbringing. I still love exploring new cities and towns. We have embraced living in Vermont and are so excited to be raising our daughters there. My interests are a mile long but my favorite hobbies include gluten-free baking and cooking, stand-up and improv comedy, writing for my blog MeredithTested.wordpress.com and enjoying all that Vermont has to offer from shopping and restaurants to live music and beautiful lakeside walks.

Meredith is a contributor for Burlington VT Moms Blog, one of our Sister Sites.