My sons recently started talking about being cool, and I recalled my own teenage years and the need to be cool. That driving desire dictated the clothes I wore, the music I listened to, and what subjects I became conversant in. And, yet despite all my motivation and effort, it remained elusive.

When I look back, I can see that all I really wanted was to be accepted, liked, and admired. But, whatever I tried, I never quite felt cool enough. The problem was that I didn’t really understand the term until I’d spent a few years living and working in the real world.

So, I explained to my kids, “Cool is when there’s a problem and you don’t get upset by it. When everyone else is panicking, rushing around, and over reacting, the cool person is the one who stays calm, assesses the situation, and then makes a reasoned decision on what to do.”

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