Lately I have been thinking about what it takes to be a good Mom. It is so easy to compare yourself to others; what you do, what they do, what you don’t do. What would a “good” Mom do? Have weekly play dates? Teach the kids about gardening? Homeschool? Plan a different, educational activity every day? I have friends that do all of those things and more, and they are all excellent mothers. All too often at the end of the day I think back over the “quality” moments I had with my kids and I have a hard time coming up with any. That is when guilty Mom rears her ugly head…I really don’t like that girl. What qualifies as a quality moment, the endless errand running, the house cleaning, lunch making? Does a good Mom give their child quality attention 24/7? I don’t know how that is reasonable, but is that what I should be doing?

What do I want for my kids? What do I hope for them when they look back on their childhood? I want them to know that they were loved wholeheartedly. I want them to have fun memories. I want them to know they were important. When I think back on my childhood I really don’t remember many play dates, or even sleep overs. I am sure there were some, but those aren’t the things I remember. I remember times with my family, walks with my Mom, “helping” my Dad with the car, family vacations, playing outside with my sister, Mom making cupcakes to take to school for my birthday. Did my Mom take me to the library every week? I don’t remember. Plan play dates with my school friends each week? I don’t remember. I do know that my Mom was/is a great, a good Mom.

Do I need to let it go? How do I get guilty Mom to go away? How do you deal with these thoughts/feelings when they invade? Am I alone?