Description of a good mother

Author

Institution

Introduction

Parents, in general, and mothers, in particular, make up some of the most crucial individuals in any child’s life. They are known to nurture their kids and shape them into individuals who can be envied in the future. In fact, writers and poets (on behalf of everyone else) often christen them the epitomes of love. This is irrespective of the fact that they are not always right. However, this does not underline the notion that mothers are the same the world over. They are extremely different both in their personalities and mothering capabilities and styles. While there is no explicit definition of a mother, the term may be used to describe a woman who undertakes the unconditional and selfless responsibility of nurturing the physical, psychological, as well as the emotional wellbeing of her children (Ford, 2012). This is usually accomplished even while the mothers have other responsibilities that come with running households and managing their careers. However, questions arise as to what makes up a successful or good mother. As much as there are variations in certain aspects of personality and mothering styles, there are certain aspects that will remain a common denominator in all successful mothers.

Good mothers are known to exercise understanding in their motherly duties. Scholars note that successful mothers recognize perfection in the bringing up of a kid is a fantasy (Ford, 2012). They recognize missteps as opportunities that can be utilized to enhance personal growth and change. In such a scenario, they understand that their kids have a high likelihood of testing boundaries so as test consequences, in which case they maintain an honest and open relationship with the kids.

On the same note, they acknowledge that as much as they may be excellent in carrying out certain duties, nurturing their kids demands that they delegate some of the tasks to them so as to imbue an element of responsibility in the kids (Ford, 2012). This is in line with the acknowledgement of the fact that, they cannot be or do everything in which case they let go and allow the kids and other individuals to undertake tasks that they thought they must undertake on their own (Ford, 2012). Nurturing the kids does not only revolve around telling them what to do and how to do it, rather it also encompasses allowing them to undertake these tasks, as well as make mistakes that will eventually become opportunities to learn grow intellectually, emotionally, as well as physically. In this regard, good mothers have the capacity to recognize instances where they need help, in which case they would not be under pressure to do everything perfectly by themselves. These simple gestures of asking for help from others give them an opportunity to recharge and refresh.

One of the most explored personality traits of a mother is being loving or showing love to her kids and those around her. Unfortunately, this trait is more often than not mistaken for leniency in imparting discipline and showering the kids with love. This, however, does not have to be the case as a good mother must be capable of setting fair rules that will guide her kids and their behavior both in the house and outside the home (Ford, 2012). They assign chores that are appropriate to the ages of the kids and demand accountability from the kids for their behavior. This is in line with the recognition or acknowledgement of the fact that the key goal of parenthood is developing nurturing the kids to allow them to grow into responsible adults.

As much as telling kids what to do would be imperative in nurturing their behavior, good parents place more emphasis on becoming role models to their kids where they live in line with the things that they teach (Ford, 2012). Scholars note that nurturing a certain behavior in would not only involve telling them what to do while doing the exact opposite. In fact, such a strategy would be likely to give contrary results, especially considering that kids learn better through watching the behavior of their parents (Ford, 2012). They always tend to emulate their parents, in which case a good mother would have to consider her actions and align them with the teachings that she imparts in her children so as to create a role model for them. Going contrary to one’s teachings would reek of hypocrisy on the part of the parent.

Lastly, good mothers acknowledge the unique talents and capabilities of their children, at an early age, and nurture them to enhance their growth (Ford, 2012). Mothers acknowledge that their kids cannot always be what they (the parents) want them to be, and, therefore, look for those unique talents in their children and nurture them so as to allow for their growth rather than kill them so as to satisfy their own dreams.

Being a good mother is not confined to any religion, career, educational background, culture, environment, goals, language or mode of dressing. In fact, being a good mother is all about personality traits and morals, as well as the manner in which an individual imparts the same in her kids. It is about cultivating a healthy relationship with her kids, striving to provide for their needs and nurturing them to become the best people or individuals that they can become in life, in line with their talents and capabilities (Ford, 2012). It is about living in line with the morals that an individual is cultivating or imparting in her children.

References

Ford, G (2012). Good Mother, Bad Mother. New York: Ebury Publishing