The Best Moms in the World

Moms and Dads, it is high time that we recognize and honor a group of people that have long been forgotten and their time is overdue. They don’t expect this praise, I’m certain, but it is absolutely deserved because they live life pushing social boundaries, living beyond societal norms, fighting “the man” every step of the way, and it is truly inspiring.

I am talking, of course, about the Moms of kids with rattails.

A while back, while attending an unnecessary birthday party at a children’s museum, I encountered one of these unsung heroes along with her two sons, aged approximately 4 and 12, sporting long, glorious rattails accompanied by seasonably inappropriate but clearly awesome cut-off shirts. It was at that moment that I realized what a wonder I was beholding.

Here I was, shackled to social constraints like modern haircuts and proper winter attire while this mother transcended such nonsense and allowed her children to live free in their natural state.

As I witnessed this magnificent being I thought to myself, how did I end up here? Why am I concerned that my children have hair that just says “I’m a kid” rather than “I’m a kid who parties and kicks ass?” I couldn’t answer that question but it led me to this epiphany:

We should all be more like these rattail embracing Moms and just let our kids be kids.

• Because does it really matter if your kid has a rattail, or mullet, or Mohawk? Why not let kids figure out on their own what they like instead of us force feeding them our norms? There is a line, I know, but I don’t think having a rattail or mullet automatically sentences you to a life of crime or becoming a Hillbilly Wedding minister in Gatlinburg.
• Does it really matter if your son wears a My Little Pony shirt to school, or your daughter wears a camo army jacket? Or they wear their pajamas inside out and backward to Target? Is it because you care what other people think? Is it because you don’t want to be embarrassed? Is it because “no son of mine is gonna wear girly clothes by God?”

I’m not judging you if any of those are the reasons, because I struggle with these things too. My kids don’t have rattails and if they wanted them I would have a hard time letting them do it. All I’m saying is that it’s important for us to know why we care and what message we send our kids about these things. Half of them are going to end up in therapy anyway so we might as well let them enjoy being a kids while they can.

And lastly I will leave you with this — If you ever see the Mom of a kid with a rattail, give her a high five because she might just be the best Mom in the world.

Originally published at dadletteroffice.com on August 14, 2018.