The "Soccer Mom" Requisite "Costume"!

Wow, claws in, gals! No O. said ANYTHING about a woman being less of a mom if she dressed this way!

Sometimes we get busy with life and fall into a rut and see we've become a bit of a stereotype - so what? It's good to see the humor in it - and realize we're not alone!

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH A MOM DRIVING A MINI VAN?

I am so sick of hearing about it, like if you drive a mini van that means you fell into some sort of mom cuttie cutter trap. I LOVE my VW Rialta mini van and yes, when it's sunny I wear sunglasses!! And sometimes I run around in running/exercise pants, whatever you want to call them, cause they are comfy and I"M BUSY!

I NEVER talk on the phone while driving though.

If you don't like mini vans, then don't drive them, but quit passing judgment on those who choose to. Moms who drive cars and SUVs are not less "moms", come on!

Hahahaha! You ladies rock, long live the soccer mom!

My friend and I recently went to a clothing swap at another friend's house. I am the first of all of us to have a kid and she is now pregnant, the rest of the ladies are all just married and don't have kids yet. Needless to say, while they were all swapping the cute, sparkly, revealing going out clothes. . . my friend and I were evaluating which tops will allow for maximum access for breastfeeding and how easy it would be to clean spit up off of them. Man, how life changes. . .

Btw- I am totally on my way out right now to go buy some capris, various plain t-shirts and a new pair of flip flops. . . Ellis, you read me like a book!

In our town it is an expensive SUV, blonde ponytail pulled back under a baseball cap, yoga/running pants, large designer sunglasses, bluetooth on the ear and starbucks in hand....lol!!

Uh, no, actually I'm on my second 6cyl, 6sp, 3.0 Mazda 6 for the purpose of weaving around the distracted minivan/cuv driving cell phone talking soccer moms. I LIKE to drive, I like loud music and singing children chiming 'WhEEE' every time we go around the traffic circles (which is at least 50 a day, no joke!)

:)

I don't drive a minivan, but I DO drive an SUV, I AM a soccer Mom, and I DO sport yoga pants!!

And I am damn proud!!

Just what in the heck is wrong with being a soccer Mom?!

And no, I don't text/talk while driving. I have precious cargo!

Yes to the minivan, yes to the sunglasses, but NO to the cell phone. Where I live, the soccer moms drive mostly expensive, luxury, gas-guzzling SUVs, the older "well-preserved" women drive black Mercedes sedans and their mid-life crisis husbands drive snazzy two-seater convertibles (usually in red). Seriously, it's such a cliche. I joke with my husband that when I turn 55, the township will issue me a black Mercedes sedan with a how to guide to coiff my hair and be perpetually tan and he'll get his little sports car (he can't wait, as he's currently in a 13 year old Honda Accord).

Well, I DO drive a minivan (looking for an SUV though), and wear sunglasses (when it's sunny). But I don't even turn my cell phone ON unless *I* need to make a call - and then I pull over or wait until *gasp* I'm home!

Where I live, it's a big SUV with a blue tooth and usually wearing workout gear that I'm pretty sure doesn't really get worn during exercise- only to sport "the look"! You know, yoga pants, ponytail, oversized shades and perfectly done makeup. When I get off the treadmill, I'm a mess and have to get "redone" to leave the house!

I do, however drive a big SUV complete with carseats, stroller and the "emergency" toy bag taking up my trunk!

Hey all I gotta say is if you are a mom that rocks a minivan or suv, yoga pants or sweats, OR sunglasses or bumper stickers....Who Cares!! You are O. DAM GOOD MOMMA!! Rock on ladies!! We do a hell of a job and dont get enough credit!!
Love,
Proud Mom that drives an suv with no stickers and does where oversized glasses with no ponytail because I have a short bob! LOL...

We have three kids under the age of 6 - what do you expect me to drive? A mini-van is a necessity for us, not a stupid fashion statement. Last I checked almost everyone, not just "soccer moms", wear sunglasses while driving and use cell phones. Guess you have never seen a man in a sports car with sunglasses on a phone pressed to his ear or a bluetooth??? Sounds like you must feel bad about yourself if to feel superior you have to judge people by the car they drive and their clothes.

UPDATE

Always have my sunglasses on, lol.. and would say 50% of time on phone. Depends on who is screaming in the car and if I can hear a conversation, hehe. And I drive a SUV.

But yes.. see the minivans all the time and will admit, slightly jealous b/c I get tired of swing the baby car seat in and then reaching over everyone to make sure everyone is buckled. Then I realize... I like my SUV! hehe

And Yes.. I always wear my yoga pants - but thats b/c my butt has not shrunk back into my jeans yet from the baby :)

OMG!! I am reading all these and realizing I have turned into a SOCCER MOM!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH

I'm from a small town, but it is usually a mini van saying their kid is an honor roll student and then the little family on the back window. Long hair in a pony tail and dressed like she is going to the gym.

Me: I'm in my car (so against driving a minivan), sunglasses on with my cell phone out, but hands free and jamming to music if the kids aren't with me.

I try to NOT take on that look. WHen I wear yoga pants, it's when I do yoga- in my house. There's no need to wear them out (at least for me). Come to think of it, I don't do yoga- I'm referring to my running attire. LOL!

I have sunglasses, but prefer my "aviators", because they don't look like the "Nicole Ritchie" sunglasses.

I used to drive a Honda minivan, but got a suburban almost a year and a half ago. Our roads were insane in the winter, and I loved driving the USED, 2005 suburban! My stickers were a USMC sticker, a horse, my alma mater sticker and a Minnesota Vikings sticker. On the van, I had my school district football sticker with my son's name on it. Since gas prices are soaring, I'm going back to the van. I cannot afford $100 a week in gas!

Yes, my cell phone may be up to my ear, but NEVER in my lap, while I text! The best way to show my kids that texting and driving is never ok, is to be the example. No way, no how. I know driving and talking isn't much better, but texting just seems a lot more distracting.

Oh, and back to the attire. When I drive to the city, I see it, but where I live, the women are usually in jeans and carhart coats. Maybe a baseball hat. It's a small farming community and we don't do the "soccer mom" look! Many of us have just mucked horse stalls, before taking our kids to school!! LOL!!!

I see this a lot, yes! I live in a neighborhood (I rent a 1 bdrm condo in an expensive neighborhood) where it seems all women have a ponytail, expensive SUV, and wear running/yoga pants all the time.

I drive a VW Golf 2-door, cuz I only have O. kid! The newer VWs all have built-in bluetooth...

Yes...here on Long Island that is the standard "mom uniform"! I've never driven a minivan, but I do have a big car to transport kids here and there. What I want to know is, when will the cops actually start cracking down on these distracted, cell-phone-driving moms???

I really hate those stereotypes, especially when we're NOT a soccer family. We're baseball. I drive a van because I have 4 children left at home. I don't talk on cell phones while driving unless I'm using my hands free that is attached to my steering wheel. I'm not sure what yoga pants are! LOL I wear jeans and tees cuz I'm too busy to dress nicer. I have cheap clip sunglasses that go on my glasses. I don't have stickers on the my back of my new van cuz I think it looks tacky, except for the Marine Corps stickers on the top of my rear window. My husband just retired from the Corps, my son is a former Marine and my brother is a retired Marine. I'm not a "soccer mom" although I do see some in O. form or another.

K. b
mom to 5 including triplets

it's so true! not really so much out here in south cowpie, but once you get closer to DC and baltimore, this is exactly what you see.
a few years ago i went to take care of my nieces in an upscale cookie-cutter CA subdivision. my hair was fuschia, i wore tie-dye and sarongs, and walked pretty much everywhere. the little put-together suburban moms in their oversized cake-eater vehicles, headsets, yoga outfits and perfectly coiffed hairdos looked at me as if i had two heads.
:) khairete
S.

Glad to know I am not the only O. who loves to wear yoga pants everyday!! And yes, I usually have a cell phone on ear but I haven't purchased the minivan yet! Love my sunglasses, too!

oh yes we dont have a lot of Minivans more SUV's with all the stickers on the back- It seems that the bigger your car the ruder you are, if you are driving a suburban or a tahoe it seems they think they can just do whatever most of these moms I find are rude and really really bad drivers. But thier kid is on the honor Roll it says so on the bumper!

I dont wear yoga pants but I am guilty of the sweat pants I have been caught in full soccer mom gear. I spend half of my life on a sideline or a bleacher.

That's not nearly as bad as seeing grown adults (sometimes entire families) walking around in public wearing flannel pajama pants. It's everywhere!!! Oh the horror...

Nope I am not...Wear sunglasses..drive a SUV and if I am on my cell, it handsfree with my bluetooth device.

I wear yoga pants everyday, they're more practical for running around but not as sloppy as regular sweats. I wear sunglasses every day because any kind of glare gives me a headache, but yes I wear the big Nicole richie kind, have to be a little bit fabulous in my tennis shoes or uggs! I wear my hair back but mostly to keep it out if my face, and always have makeup on or I feel tired/washed out/blah...I drive an suv but not a huge O., but if I had three or more kids I'd probably get a minivan! I don't have the stickers!

My kids don't play soccer, Not so sure it's a soccer mom thing, just practical and put together without being sloppy or overdressed. Most of my mom friends usually wear jeans, ballet flats, and a cute shirt, which is what I wear to meetings, school functions, etc. And it's illegal to talk on a cell phone in Washington so I'm hands free baby!

so many moms seem unapproachable or clique-ish but are actually really nice if you just talk to them! We are all busy and trying to do our best, some of us just try not to look like we try as hard as we do :) I feel better about myself when I look presentable, and I think it's important to show our kids that it's good to take care of and present your best self to the world!

Funny. I used to be cool. It changed with the kids. And I couldn't be happier!

I had a Jeep CJ7 (my pride and joy, but too hard to find parts for), a black & gold Fiat Spyder because that was my soccer team's colors (ha), Jeep Cherokee 4x4 which flipped, a Jeep Wrangler (broke its axle), a 69 Dodge Charger with an airhorn (ha, awesome but too much work), PT Cruiser that flipped (well, flipped after being airborn; they're not really flippers), an Isuzu Rodeo (lost it's brakes, air, and I couldn't get the concrete out), and now another I'm married, a mom, and drive like a good girl: PT Cruiser (but with a solid top for safety, now that I've got wee kids). Things went all normal and stuff after I got pregnant. No more muscle cars, no more rock crawlers, no more itty bitty 2 seaters, no more "wild and wacky stunts". (Honestly, neither of us know how to fix anything up properly, lol, so no more antiques until we can afford to have them completely redone, properly). We went with the PT Cruiser for me because I like it, it's cute, easy, simple, gets good gas, has a working airconditioner and good brakes, and oh yeah: it's PAID FOR. Don't understand a gas guzzling SUV if you stay on the road, lol. At least do something interesting if you're gonna look the part. :P But oh, how I yearn for a minivan. :) I've always been a 4x4 kind of girl but truthfully, ever since taking a few roadtrips in a van, and when I traded cars with my bff for a little bit (she needed me to pick up her son and 3 neighbor kids from school everyday, but I also had my 2 kids in tow.....and I also took her son to scouts and soccer all the time....we traded cars and I REALLY liked having 5 children safely in my car, with the lawn chairs, picnic blanket, soccer bags, scout bags, and still plenty of room for the kids' backpacks....I was impressed! May not be good on gas, but there's that whole carpooling thing that is really good. I like piling everyone up in O. car (safely and comfortably).....MAYBE it brings back memories of my youth when we were all piled up and having fun together (not safely or comfortably though). :P

I dress bummy because that's just how I like to dress. Can't blame the kids or motherhood on that. I'm in capri pants (black, white, blue, olive green, brown, LOL, or just jeans) and a Tshirt pretty much all the time. Hair in a pony tail unless I'm at church or on a date. I don't like my hair to stick to my neck and it's all hot and sweaty outside, AND my youngest loves to grab me by my hair, so ponytails are my friends. And the sunglasses....sheesh. My husband "makes" me wear them; his exwife was an optometrist so it's not my fault. We've actually had "fights" about that. He doesn't want me getting cataracts or something stupid, lol. But they're very nice glasses, not big and cheesy. And...hmm. I think those goofy family stickers are cute. But I'm too cheap to buy them; I am more likely to put honor roll stickers in a scrapbook than on my car. Proud soccer mom here. But then....my son plays soccer. I'm an assistant coach. And I grew up playing soccer. Guess it stands to reason. :P

Things are exactly like that where I live! I hope I never own a minivan (I drive a Bonneville or a T-bird) unless it is O. of those VW hippy vans and then only if it runs on banana peels or something. I do wear sunglasses when I remember them (they have to be my prescription ones) and I sometimes talk on my phone when driving (shame on me) but not often. My occasional babysitter is a "soccer mom" complete with van (with those stickers of the family on the back...you know, dad, mom, 2 kids and a dog), sunglasses, and cell. She has busted out her capri pants and her polos...she is ready for spring. My neighbor is exactly the same...down to the polo shirts (nothing wrong with them...no hate mail, please) and at least half of the women I see when I drop my daughter off at preschool (although to be fair some drive SUVs and not vans).

Nope, I drive a Yukon.

Yes I drive a minivan, though I so would like to unload that gas guzzler. But it's our O. and only family vehicle, and sometimes we really do need it for traveling out of town. Sunglasses for me are for the pool only. I like the sun. Cell phone is in my pocket for emergencies. On rare occasion I may answer a brief call in the car, but I'm not a constant yakker. Yoga pants, don't own any. I like my jeans in when it's cool, and Columbia shorts when it's hot. Maybe capri pants when it's in between. No stickers. No soccer games, my girls tired of that sport in early elementary. We do volleyball in the spring, lots of swimming in the summer.