How to be a fun mom is the question so many moms ask themselves – especially when they’re stuck in the grind of life.
“Life has so many ups and downs and there are so many successes and failures – and if we only base our happiness on the times that we succeed, or the times that we accomplish or prove ourselves – it can lead to a lot of unhappiness.” – Anne Cropper/Ep. 130, How to be a Fun Mom
I know, I know – who has time for being a fun mom during a pandemic when we also need to be teachers, custodians and basically everything in-between.
That is why I asked Anne Cropper to come on the podcast to talk about how to be a fun mom. She says she’s not a fun mom by nature, but made a New Year’s Resolution to be more fun. That was the birth of her project #ACMoreFun (you can follow along on her Instagram page).
Anne Cropper is the face behind annecropper.com. You can find her on Instagram (@annecropper). Her family owns BioSkin. She’s the mother of five, a wife, writer and stylist.
A Mission to be More Fun
Anne says one day she said to her husband, “I’m not really a fun person.” But when Anne compared herself to her childhood-self… she realized that kid was a fun seeker.
“Somewhere in the million of children I birthed, it sucked the life out of me.”
Anne says she became focused on getting things done, performing, being a work horse – do, do, doing.
That’s when #ACMoreFun was born. A personal challenge to get out of her comfort zone, to learn how to be a fun mom and have more fun with her family.
In this episode, we talk about how the anxiety of raising kids played a role in how Anne got away from the fun nature she had as a child.
‘Every time I do something fun, it’s a challenge’
My favorite, favorite, favorite thing about this conversation is that Anne is not naturally a fun mom. I’m raising my hand right there alongside her. I love that she is very intentional about choosing to be fun. She makes a very deliberate decision that she will do something all in and fun with her kids on any given day.
She says doing this takes more focus.
In fact, sometimes Anne even has to put the fun item on the to-do list. That way she will make time for the special moment or experience with her children.
Anne describes this as the marriage of her ‘type a’ side and the goal to have more fun.
How to be a Fun Mom NOW with these Two Tips
When Anne says she is feeling two serious – she turns to two remedies.
First, find something to laugh about. She says her go-to is an episode of SNL or Jimmy Fallon. She said they have been watching more comedies for some levity during the pandemic.
And next, blast some music.
Anne told me her daughter will say, “I just know anytime you’re grumpy, I just have to turn on Queen.”
Give Yourself Grace
Anytime you have a goal to do something – it must (must, must, must) come with grace.
We are in a pandemic for heaven’s sake and if you find you’re not Fun Mom all the time – that is 100% okay. No one is expecting that of you. (We do talk about how to focus on quality VS. quantity of time while we have so much time in the full episode of the podcast).
Anne says she is prone to self-loathing feeling “hopelessly flawed every minute of every day.”
At the end of the day she resolves to try again the next day. She is also open with her kids when she needs to apologize.
I asked Anne what she does when she feels like she is getting away from her goal – especially during this pandemic.
She said she asks herself, “What do you want your kids memories of their childhood to be primarily? Do you think they’re going to be like – I just love how clean my mom’s house was?They don’t even notice that – let alone do they care. Is that really what you think they’re going to value and what is the point of life if that’s all you care about?”
More on the Podcast:
This episode was packed with so many great insights other than how to be a more fun mom including:
- The balance between work and play
- Quality Time Vs. Quantity of Time
- How every Mom has their own individual ‘fun mom’ style & how to own it
- What she’s learned about herself & her kids
You can find the whole podcast by clicking play at the top of this post – or head to Youtube, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Mail Tribune or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
If you liked this episode, here are some more episodes about motherhood you may appreciate:
Cherishing Motherhood
Teaching Kids Emotional Resilience
Teaching Kids to Manage Stress & School
Believing in Her Son Helped this Mom Believe in Herself
Cultivating a Strong Bond with your Kids
Raising Teens & Tweens
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