s/o Where do the cool, grounded parents live?

[Anonymous]

College towns

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean cool or chill?
I live in a slightly cheaper part of Bethesda and there are lots of chill parents who drink beer in their front yard and just hang out. There are also crazy intense or competitive ones, but I take a live and let live attitude towards them.
But Im not at all cool—I’m sitting here in my Old Navy shorts with skechers i got at costco at a house rental at deep creek with my minivan parked out front. And I might turn on an 80s pop/new wave mix from spotify shortly.
So chill —yes, cool,— no.
I tend to think that people who are cool tend not to be very chill, IME, but I’ll admit that’s not universally true.

I totally get this. The “cool” people I know are actually very high maintenance and exhaustingly strategic. Not chill at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not in the DC area lol

Straight

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Garrett Park, MD. Very grounded and easy going families around here.

Yes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rockville, MD

Lol no

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:San Francisco

Hahaha nope

[Anonymous]

bloomingdale?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Increasingly I wonder if there is such a thing as a "cool, grounded parent." We had friends who I thought epitomized it, but then their kids hit middle school and all their secret competitive snobbery came out. It was amazing. They were all "live and let live, all kids are different, let's not all be crazy" one minute, and then suddenly going insane about getting their kids on competitive sports teams and went nuts about the magnet high school applications. It was really sad because I'd kind of looked up to them as a model for how to stay sane and normal while parenting in DC. Maybe it's impossible.

Caveat: we live on Capitol Hill. It's notorious for seeming kind of chill for kids and families at first but don't be fooled -- Mr. and Mrs. "Oh our kids play at the park on their own we love microbrew and camping" have some fancy college degree sand Expectations for their kids. Sometimes I feel like people here work too hard at appearing laid back and we'd all be better off if people just admitted out loud they stress about schools and house values and feel competitive about where they go on vacation. At least that would be real.

This!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hyattsville

Lol I have observed those parents at the mead place and they have zero chill.

Well, the people I know are super artsy and very chill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington Ridge, Del Ray, Old town, some pockets in Vienna

No, I'm in Old Town and Alexandria parents are only cool until their kid gets to school age and they are terrified of ACPS and either get competitive about applying to SSSAS or moving to FCPS.

lol. SSSAS is so 2005. Not even remotely competitive anymore.

+1 Was SSSAS ever competitive?

Does anyone else see the irony in these responses in light of OP's question?

How would these people even know what "cool and grounded" looks like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington Ridge, Del Ray, Old town, some pockets in Vienna

No, I'm in Old Town and Alexandria parents are only cool until their kid gets to school age and they are terrified of ACPS and either get competitive about applying to SSSAS or moving to FCPS.

lol. SSSAS is so 2005. Not even remotely competitive anymore.

+1 Was SSSAS ever competitive?

Does anyone else see the irony in these responses in light of OP's question?

How would these people even know what "cool and grounded" looks like?

I noticed that too--laughable to argue about the competitiveness of private schools in the context of this thread. And no self-awareness.

[Anonymous]

What’s your definition of cool?

[Anonymous]

I’m cool

Not so grounded though

McLean

[Anonymous]

I don't think there's many of them here. DC is full of parents who themselves chose very conventional paths to stability and/or success.

[Anonymous]

Northeast DC, specifically Kingman Park, Near Northeast, Brookland, or Eckington.