You don’t just want to be a better mom. You want to be the perfect mom. That is understandable. It is also impossible. What does it even mean to be the perfect mom? For that, you would have to be a perfect person. Exactly zero humans fit that criteria. If you want to be a better mom, the first thing you have to do is stop putting that kind of pressure on yourself. If you are even a reasonably good person, you already have what it takes to be a reasonably good mom.
As with everything, there is always room for improvement. You want your kids to have the best mom possible. You also want to be the best you can be at everything you do. There is nothing wrong with that. But if you fall short of that, you are not going to scar your kids for life. You have to learn to forgive yourself when you make mistakes. When it comes to being a good parent, there are no instruction manuals that come with the child. Let love be your guide and you will always be moving in the right direction. But you already knew that. Here are a few other tips you might find helpful:
1. Take Care of Your Health
If you are in a plane that loses pressure. You will be presented with oxygen masks. Your first instinct will be to hold your breath and make sure your child gets all the oxygen. That will not help. You both will be lost. Every tutorial instructs you to take the oxygen for yourself first so that you will be in a position to help someone else. This is what you have to do with regard to your child on a daily basis.
You need to be sure you have something on hand for hot flash relief, and all the other women’s issues that make you cranky, depressed, anxious, and exhausted. If you don’t take care of these basic needs, both you and your child will suffer.
2. Give Your Child Smart Toys
The best coding toys for kids are also some of the most fun. Your kids will play with just about anything. Leave a sandwich bag and an ink pen on the table where they can reach it and they will have invented a new game before you can take them away. They can make anything fun. You have the choice to give them something that is not just fun, but educational. Doing that will earn you mom points for the rest of your life.
3. Practice What You Preach
Every parent is a preacher and your child is the congregation. The worst thing you can do as a parent is to say one thing and do another. Telling your kids not to smoke while smoking 2 packs a day is a good way to raise a smoker who also doesn’t listen to authority.
4. Apologize to Your Kids
Refer to the beginning of this piece. You are going to mess up from time to time and your child is going to see you do it. The way to deal with that is to learn to apologize and show some humility to your kids. It is also one of the best examples you can set for them. They are going to mess up as well. They will be far more inclined to own their mistakes if they see you doing the same.
5. Introduce Diversity
One of the best things you can do for your kids to set them up for success is to get them outside of the white, picket fence so they can see the world in all its many possibilities. As the Vulcans might say, show them infinite diversity in infinite combinations. This will open their world in ways that your best sermons will not. They will have a much better chance or growing up to be the kind of people who will be the solution to some of the worst problems currently plaguing the world. Your decisions as a mom will be celebrated for generations to come.
Being a great mom is the end result of a lot of little decisions. Go from good to great by taking care of yourself, giving your child smart toys, practicing what you preach, apologizing when necessary, and introducing diversity.