Everyone knows that is just isn’t possible to be the perfect mother. Being a mother doesn’t come with an instruction manual, every baby is different and so is every mother. All that we can do is strive to be the best possible mother that we can be.
While is no one way to be the perfect mother but there are many things that you can do to be an amazing mother to your children.
One of the challenges of being a great parent is the many roles of a mother – from being a wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend, an employee, an employer and many more demanding roles. Juggling all of these roles and responsibilities can leave mothers feeling worn out and spread too thin by the end of the day.
It is so important to keep your priorities in order, as well as to have great time management and organization skills to stay on top of things.
Here are 10 great tips to help you be the amazing mother that you want to be:
Parent With Love
As a mother you will be second guessing yourself a lot of time and wondering whether you are making the right choices for your children. The important thing is to make your decisions based out of love. Families are bonded together with love, let this guide you.
Don’t be afraid to hold your baby and to shower your children with love, hugs and kisses. Be patient and remember that the time goes by so fast, you angry toddler will soon grow out of the terrible two and your teenager will soon be an adult. Try and keep that in mind when the going gets tough.
Be Their Teacher
Yes your children will go to school and learn lots of things from their teacher but always remember that learning begins at home. As your child’s mother you are your child’s first teacher. You will be the person that spends the most time with your children.
Make sure that you instill in your children the values and ethics that you hold dear. Teach your child manners and how to be polite.
When your child is learning at school ensure that you know what your child is being taught and reinforce these lessons at home. This will give your child a good foundation for learning and ensure that your children has the best possible chance of success.
Listen To Your Child
When you actively listen to your child you are showing that you are interested and that you care what your child is saying. You are giving your child your full attention and a stronger bond develops.
Your child will be more confident and will trust you more if you spend some time actively listening to your child.
Your child will also learn how to listen properly and pay attention if you are setting the right example.
Be A Good Role Model
Parents are a child’s most important role models. It is human nature to want to be just like your parents, so make sure that you are a good role model in everything that you do.
You can tell your children as much as you like how that should behave and they may even listen sometimes, they will learn the most from the ways that you behave and they will emulate your behavior.
Children Need Your Presence Not Presents
Being there for your child is of the utmost importance. You need to be there for your child when she scrapes her knee, when she is scared of the dark, when she wants to tell you about her day at school and when she is older to help her through puberty, breakups and college.
Your child is your responsibility and you need to help and guide your child every step of the way from the moment you conceive until your child is independent. Even when your child is married and has a life of her own with her own children, she will still need her mother and when things go wrong you will most likely still be the first person she runs to.
Always remember that physical things will never make up for being an absent parent. You can spoil a child with things but never with love.
Make sure that no matter how busy you are that you always make time to spend with your children.
Be Organized
As soon as you become a mother you and you become responsible for another life you will find that your life becomes much more complicated. One way to always stay on top of things is to be organized. Get a backpack diaper bag when you have a baby so that your hands are free to look after your baby and ensure that you always pack spare clothing and everything else that you need when you go out.
Even when your children are out of nappies it is a good idea to always have spare clothes, spare underwear, a sun hat, suntan lotion, wet wipes and a myriad of other things you may need.
While these things in itself won’t make you a better parent being prepared while out will make trips out so much easier and problem free leaving you free to concentrate on your child and what is really important.
Have a daily to do list and prioritize your tasks so that all the important things get tackled first. It is so easy to get overwhelmed and forget things, having a list will make it easier to keep track of everything you need to get done. Use a diary to keep track of all your appointments, kids sports, school times and events.
Protect Your Child
Make sure that you protect your child from danger at all times. This starts when your child is a baby and you take steps to baby proof your home, to ensuring that your baby is fed, clothed and given good medical care when ill.
As your child gets older you will need to start teaching your child how to stay safe, for example crossing the road holding your toddler’s hand to slowly teaching your child how to cross the road safely on her own when she reaches primary school.
It is not all about keeping your child out of harm’s way – in time you need to teach your child how to cope independently too.
Health And Fitness
Health and fitness starts at home and it is essential to teach your child the importance of good nutrition and regular exercise. While tech is great fun and will teach your children lots of things it is also vital for children to spend lots of time outdoors playing in nature.
Getting your child involved in sports from an early age will keep your child fit and active as well as provide your child with some social stimulation in a group environment.
The best would be if you also work out and through your actions be a good fitness role model for your child. You can use fitness equipment at home, take your child with you to gym or spend time as a family outdoors, like going on hikes.
Accept And Love Your Child
Try to love and accept your child for who she is without any reservations. This will help your child to love and accept herself and grow up with confidence and independence.
Try to always remember that your child has her own path to walk and you are there to love, accept and support her. You are there to help her to reach her dreams.
Take Time Off
This is not exactly parenting, but it is such an important of being an amazing parent. You need some time out from being a parent every now and then. You mustn’t lose sight of who you are a person, you must keep doing hobbies that you enjoy and you need to spend alone time with your husband too.
Make sure that you get a babysitter every now and then to do some things on your own and some things with your partner. Talk to your parents and your in laws to see if they are happy to take your kids for a few days during school holidays.
This will give you much needed time to have a break from being a parent and to look after yourself and your marriage for a while.
