SOLC #3 Cool Kids

The Slice of Life March Challenge is hosted by Two Writing Teachers.  

The other day I got into my son's Blazer and of course his radio was not on the station I listen to, and the volume was much louder than what I prefer.  I turned it down a bit, but continued listening to the song.  The song kept repeating the same line over and over.  

"I wish that I could be like the cool kids,

Cause all the cool kids, they seem to fit in."

I stopped and thought, "Did they just say what I think they said?"

Being a middle school teacher, I just shook my head.  Everyday I see kids who want to be like the cool kids, and yes, who want to fit in.  It is a constant struggle for many kids this age.  Fitting in is so difficult when you are still trying to understand who you really are and who you want to be.

But what makes a kid cool?  Is it being an athlete, being smart, wearing the brand name clothes, being rich, or being popular?  Who defines what is cool and what isn't?

A few days later, I decided to Google this song, hoping that the lyrics were actually something inspiring.  I found an article written on Radio.com about the four siblings who make up the group Echosmith and who sing this song.  Here is what they said:

Jamie says the message of the song is simple: the coolest thing you can be is yourself. But more often than not, fans tell the band that they relate to the kids they’re singing about. That they feel like the outsider looking in.

“This cry to be like the cool kids… it’s something that everyone kind of goes through whether you want to act like it or not,” Jamie said. “There’s always somebody out there that you kind of wish, ‘If only I could do this, or do that.’ I think that’s why it connects with people so well.”

I would agree that everyone at some time in their life wishes they could be like someone else.  I don't have a problem with that, because I do the same thing as an adult.  I read slices and want to be like that writer or want to teach like some of the teachers I see on Twitter or on blogs.  

I do have a problem with "the cool kid" part.  They say the message of the song is simple - the coolest thing is to be yourself.  That is a great message.  I may be wrong, but I don't clearly hear that message because it gets lost in the repeated refrain.  (Trust me ~ listen to it once and you will be singing the refrain.)  The message I hear is the coolest thing is to be like someone else so you can fit in.

And to me, that is sending the wrong the message.