The Mom Bag

I'm not a very good "girl."  I am not crazy about shoes, it takes a major life event for me to experiment with my makeup, and I have never in my life seen an episode of The Bachelor.  But my one "girlie" vice is handbags.  I love them. 

So it is ironic that I am, at the moment, carrying a special bag to work every day.  And by "special," I mean breast pump bag.  That's right--every day I carry a bag intended for an activity that could not possibly be more "mom."  And the worst part?  I didn't think anything of it until lately.  All I considered was that it is handy.  You can spill things on it and said things come right off.  It's durable.  I'm pretty rough on my bags and this one is virtually indestructable.  And it's practical.  It's black.  Sounds perfect, right?  Yeah, well, yesterday I was called out on it by another mom.

Sitting in the coffee shop, waiting for my morning coffee with room, a woman approached me.  She was toting TWO baby carriers (gotta love a woman who needs coffee that badly).  I was focused on the adorable kids and asked the usual questions: How old?  Are they sleeping? Blah, blah.  Suddenly her eyes lit up.  "You have the hands-free pump!  Don't you just love it?"  I looked at her, both confused and appalled.  Though it took a bit longer due to the lack of coffee (I hate you, slow barrista), eventually it dawned on me: she was pointing to my "briefcase."  Not wanting to admit that I had never actually used the contraption that the bag was meant to house, I weakly smiled and nodded.  "Love it," I said as I ran from the shop, ignoring her offended look and my prior debate over whether to have a cinnamon roll.  I had never felt more "mom" in my life.  And had never been more embarrassed.  This morning I ordered the new Coach Kristin bag.  While it is awesome to be a mom, I am most certainly not going to out myself as one in public.  Yeckh.