I always knew I wanted to be a mom. Like, I wanted to be the coolest mom ever. My kids would be awesome in academics, and even more awesome in sports. They’d wear nothing but the coolest clothes (sorry, no department store brands, please), and they’d be the talk of other moms: “Aren’t they such cool kids? They must have an awesome mom!”

But then I actually had a kid and quickly came to the realization that the “coolest mom ever” dream was really just a fantasy only lived out by the likes of Angelina Jolie and Julia Roberts, who are cool by association.

I’m far from being the cool mom.  I’m all other kinds of mom, though: I’m the health-freak mom who won’t let my kid eat anything that comes out of a can or is 50 percent made out of food coloring. I’m the running-round-like-a-headless-chicken mom who tries to get my to-do list done in a day without ranting to my husband. I’m the work-at-home mom who feels guilty at times for working too much, thereby defeating the purpose of why I wanted to stay at home in the first place.

So what makes a mom “cool,” anyway? Being a cool mom is far from projecting an image of being all-together and perfect. A cool mom - for me - has a character which goes beyond fashion choices and stroller picks.

1. A cool mom is true to herself.
She keeps it real. It’s OK to stop being super mom once in a while. Sometimes as moms we forget to take things easy and get so wrapped up in school schedules, household duties and responsibilities of raising a family that we neglect our need to just be women! A cool mom knows when to say “I’m taking it easy,” “I need a break from all this” or simply, “I NEED A HOT OIL.” The cool mom knows when to hit the breaks on responsibility - responsibly, of course - and hit the salon, get that massage, treat herself to a little something when the time calls for it.

2. A cool mom isn’t a kid-pleaser.
There’s nothing more frustrating than a kid who whines, but giving in to your kid’s every whim and wish isn’t what makes you a cool mom. A cool mom knows what’s best for her kid, and that’s moderation, discipline, character-building… and yes, maybe the occasional trip to McDonald’s, if that’s your kid’s idea of a treat. But don’t be a push-over mom. There’s nothing more pathetic than a mom whose kid is the one taking the reins. Your kid doesn’t expect you to impress him, anyway; he wants you to be his mom, even if he doesn’t always act like it.