Sheryl Crow Reveals How Hilariously Relatable Her Life Is With Teen Boys
Crow's honest admission seems to be the universal dynamic between many parents of teenagers.
Singer and nine-time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow may have a slew of accolades and adoring fans, but when it comes to her children, she apparently doesn't quite have the same effect.
The 'Soak Up the Sun' singer recently revealed during one of her concerts just how her sons Wyatt, 15, and Levi, 12, really think of her, and her admission was both hilarious and painfully relatable to most parents.
Crow admitted that her sons don't view her as being a 'cool' mom.
The 61-year-old singer, who adopted both of her sons as a single mother after three of her previous relationships ended, revealed during a September 17 concert in Ashbury Park, New Jersey, that neither Wyatt nor Levi have the same opinion of her as they once did when they were younger.
"I'll tell you a quick story," Crow told the crowd, according to PEOPLE. "So I know how hard it is for especially young people — and I don't know if anybody was pained by struggles like I did when I was young — but these are some tricky waters to navigate now."
The pop singer went on to explain that after moving to Nashville, she feels more at peace being surrounded by nature, before introducing her next song, 'Real Gone,' from the 2006 animated film 'Cars.' The song prompted Crow to talk about her sons, who had loved both the song and movie when they had first released.
"I got two little boys who are not so little now," Crow admitted. "They're teenagers and they think their mom is so violently not cool. But when they were little, man, they loved this song from the Cars movie."
Crow acknowledged that even though her kids think she's 'uncool,' she still enjoys being their mom.
Crow had previously spoken about learning that her teen boys didn't consider her to be a "cool mom" anymore during an episode of 'Making Space with Hoda Kotb' in October 2021. She explained that her kids don't consider her career to be that impressive to them and that they will often tell her: "You just don't know Mom. You don't get it."
Despite how uncool her boys may think she is, Crow pointed out that she doesn't mind, and is just thankful that she can call them hers and be their mother.
"You don't get the wrong kids. It just doesn't happen that way. And my kids so clearly not only picked me but picked each other and man, what a cool honor," Crow told Kotb. "I tell my kids all the time, 'I am so honored to be your mom.'"
The 'First Cut Is the Deepest' singer had been 45 when she adopted her first son, Wyatt, and 48 when she adopted her second, Levi, and felt gratitude for her age being able to help her be the best parent she could be.
"I had the gift of getting a lot of things out of my system before I had my kids, or before I got my kids. So there wasn't anything that I felt like I was missing," she said. "If I stayed home and something was going on I just didn't feel like I was missing anything, that I wanted to be anywhere else, and that's a gift."
Crow's honest admission that her sons think of her as being severely uncool is a pretty relatable dynamic.
It's a bit comforting considering how famous and cool Crow may be to other people. Despite her fame and accomplishments, her teenage sons see her in the same light as many parents of teenagers — as just a regular mom.
How her teen boys view her also proves that it's totally fine if your teenagers don't see you as being equal to them, considering that it's not supposed to be that way. Being friends with your teens should never be the goal as parents aren't meant to be seen as a peer or friends, and even if your teen isn't admitting it, they do observe and learn from their parents' behaviors and attitudes.
While being a "cool" parent might be a fleeting desire, raising children with compassion and nurturing their growth is the ultimate goal, and Sheryl Crow exemplifies this beautifully in her journey and revelation as a mother to her teen boys.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.