It was probably only for about a year and a half, but when I hit my coolness peak, it was GLORIOUS!  (Note:  It involved a flannel shirt and doc martens…I’m not even kidding.  It was pre social-media but there are photos out there).

My cool phase was fleeting and these days I spend my free time not absorbed in pop culture.  Rather I spend a lot of time playing UNO with my family, cleaning up after my family, cooking for my family, and for “me” time, I visit my donkeys.  No, please…do not be jealous.

Thankfully, I work in 4-H.  As a 4-H member myself I always thought the coolest adults I knew were 4-H Agents.  They were mature, responsible adults, but they were also human beings.  Human beings who took time to ask us about our interests, our concerns, and our dreams.

My face time with youth is increasingly limited these days and I find I have to be much more intentional about keeping up with youth culture.  Not because I am trying to be “cool”, but because it is important to me to know what is important to them.  What matters to our youth impacts how we reach them.

Now I’m not saying you aren’t cool.  However, if you’d like to catch up on youth culture I would suggest you check out:

YPulse :  This site offers research-based information geared to engaging with youth.  This is my preferred site.

Careful Parents  This site is geared more to warning parents about dangerous trends.  It is important to remember that these trends are NOT indicative of every young person’s experience, but having this information can help us have a broader perspective of the work in which our young people reside.

(And just to demonstrate who cool I actually can be- a real picture of one of my donkeys).