Absolutely Bananas: Seattle stay-at-home mom blog

Good mom checklist

“The central struggle of parenthood is to let our hopes for our children outweigh our fears.” -Ellen Goodman

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There’s a lot of posts flying around the blogosphere right now about GOOD MOMS. I think it’s great; it’s about time we moms recognized the many things we do right. Go check them out here - many are really moving and inspirational.

It must be my contrary streak, but for whatever reason I can’t help but approach the exercise from a slightly different angle. Yes, I believe that I am a good mom. And one of the top reasons that I say that is because I know I could be better; I want to be better; And I try to be better. In the back of my mind is always the thought that each experience, conversation, book, and even blog post has the opportunity to help me grow and improve as a mom. Commitment to personal growth and improvement, starting with honesty and self-awareness, is very important to me.

So, rather than overwhelming you with the details of my absolute wonderfulness (and radiant it is, let me assure you), I am instead going to focus on where I’m going, what I’m working towards, and who I want to be.

I was watching “The Today Show” the other morning (only because Daring Young Mom was featured) and they were interviewing this parenting “expert” who said something that stuck with me,

“If you want to know whether you’re a good parent, imagine yourself 20 years from now at a family reunion. How would your children describe you?”

Here’s how I’d like to be described; or my Critical Traits for Being a GOOD MOM:

1. Sense of humor.
   She laughs hard and often.

2. Humility
   She doesn’t take herself (or anyone else) too seriously, and she is willing to admit when she is wrong.
3. Integrity
   Her actions align with her principles. She is honest with herself and with others. She treats everyone- adults, children, and herself with respect.
4. Generous and loving spirit
   She loves many; and those that she loves, she loves completely.
5. Ensures own happiness and health
   She understand the importance of taking care of herself. She has her own interests and passions, and she makes time to pursue them.
6. Confident
   She follows her instincts rather than the crowd. This helps her to be consistent and calm in the face of new parenting dilemmas and challenges.
7. Practical
   She is able and willing to compromise. She doesn’t get overly worked up about the little things.
8. Recognizes the unique spirit in each of her children
   She doesn’t try to force her children into a mold, but rather sees her role being to cultivate, inspire, and teach so that each child may grown into their full unique potential.
9. Self-reflective
   She takes the time for self-examination and makes self-improvement a priority.
10. Forgiving
    She is forgiving- of her spouse, her children, and herself, because she realizes that everyone makes mistakes.

Whew! That’s quite a list. And as is typical with these things, probably pretty pie-in-the-sky. But, you have to have aspirations right?!

Bringing it back down to reality, what would I want my child(ren?) to say about me…?

I guess I’d be content to know that they thought,

“She taught me how to live life fully, trust myself, and laugh. And I always knew she loved me, no matter what.”

best_mom

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