issue #78: the coolest moms at space club
reawaken your inner child
As the mom of an energetic toddler, I am always looking for ways to expend her energy that requires the least amount of effort on my part. When the weather is nice, this is as simple as bringing her to the playground, or even just walking up and down the block in front of our apartment while I listen to podcasts and make sure she doesn’t run into the street. When the weather is unpleasant - perhaps cold, perhaps rainy - our small Brooklyn apartment can only contain us for so long before I start disassociating entirely while reading the same six page book about Elmo for the 18th time in a row.
Enter: Space Club.
I actually hadn’t heard about it until a month or so ago, when three random people in one day asked me if I had been yet. Stands to reason I would have, as it is only a four block walk from my house, but I wasn’t even sure what it was.
Joyously, I later found out it’s an indoor playground. A genius concept if I’ve ever heard of one, and I am still kicking myself that I didn’t come up with it. But I didn’t and thus will remain in my current job, which, now that I think of it, is fine. I love the sounds of children laughing, but I think it would be too much after a while, and I’ve never enjoyed cleaning up puke.
Anyways, Space Club is great. It’s part cafe, part ball pit, part Lego pit, part bead pit (the best part), part swing set. It’s soft and squishy and bright and sequined and just exudes joy and germs. The walls of the stairwells are covered in neon fur which is both charming and disgusting, and the chaos that you’re greeted with when you walk in serves as a reminder of the joy that children do, in fact, bring. (If you want to read more about it, Curbed wrote a great piece)
I couldn’t help, however, noticing my fellow moms. In part because I’m always trying to make awkward eye contact with them in hopes they’ll start a conversation and I’ll make a friend. In part because I’m always assessing their fits, and using them as a reference point for how to dress and in what. The Brooklyn moms are stylish, you know?
So what does one wear to a kid filled play space to wade through a ball pit these days? It seems there are a few types…
as noted above, I am always looking for ways to get things done while using the least amount of energy, and when it comes to writing this substack, lately that’s meant using Zeen, a super user friendly design tool that I’ve been using to make the collages you see below. they are officially launching today, and have generously offered readers of mom friend a discounted three month subscription - use this link to sign up. happy mood boarding!
The mom that’s been here before and knows what she’s doing:
She’s wearing the right socks, which is a dead giveaway. But she also has on baggy jeans (naturally distressed because they’re vintage), which are great for running around in. She’s wearing a Really Good Sweatshirt she’ll probably pull off later to reveal a perfectly oversized tee. She’s delightfully casual while still put together - maybe she’s off to a coffee or a brunch after - but is fully prepared to dive in to that ball pit and play. She leaves with a wrist full of bracelets from the bead pit that she won’t take off when she leaves because somehow, they’re chic af.
The mom that either came from the gym or is going to the gym or might be considering this her exercise for the day or maybe neither and just really prefers spandex to denim:
She’s appropriately dressed in leggings (with a side pocket for her phone to easily snap adorable pics) and crew socks, with a sporty hoodie or half zip. It’s unclear if she’s actually working out or not, but that doesn’t matter, because trudging through the balls chasing a toddler is exercise enough.
The birthday party mom.
She’s here to bring her kid to a party, and she’s grateful for the excuse to let them run wild. She’s ready to play, but is dressed up only in the slightest way, knowing that Brooklyn moms are nothing if not observing everything at all times, including but not limited to what one wears to a children’s party. She has on really good jeans and an excellent cardigan, exposing what is likely the Leset Margo tee because really, us Brooklyn moms, we’re all the same. She’s not going to stay a long time, but she’s going to have a good time.
The mom that doesn’t give a single fuck and is just here before she loses her damn mind:
I love this mom. She’s perfect. She’s in sweatpants and tee, likely with her hair pulled back and a face free of make up. She doesn’t care at all what anyone thinks, and she exudes confidence. She probably had a rough morning getting out of the house (oh wait, that was all of us), and is excited to let her kids run wild while she scrolls her phone in the corner. We are all her.
The mom that had no idea what to expect and regrets her outfit choice:
This was me. The first time I went to Space Club I mistakenly wore my barrel jeans, which were cute, but didn’t give me the range of motion needed for climbing the playground and sliding down the children’s sized slide. My sweater was cashmere - huge mistake - and I had on footie socks that refused to stay on my feet.
So for next time…
Jeans are a must, but they should be big and comfy and easy to move around in. Bonus for really good pockets that keep your phone from falling out while trudging through the ball pit. Crew socks that will stay on. Easy, oversized t shirt. And a hoodie. Preferably in dark colors, because it’s not not dirty in there.
Listen, even if you don’t have a kid, get yourself a friend that does (or hit me up) and go play in that ball pit for a day. Wear your baggiest jeans and your comfiest sweatshirt and lounge in the germ ball pit and listen to the joyful screams of children and feel like a kid again as you swing on the swings and slide down the slides and bead yourself a bracelet and put your phone away and play. Laugh, find your inner child, wear yourself out, eat that fairy bread, and forget about our eventual self destruction and barrage of bad news. Trust me.
see you Thursday!
xx
jen
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glad to know i'm not the only one who worries about my space club outfits!! feel like i am the target audience for this post, haha
i am not a brooklyn mom and i loved this so much. it's like i could picture every single one of these women!