Every mother follows the parenting style she thinks is best for her children, but there are certain general qualities you can adopt to win the title of ‘best mother’. Innumerable innate traits are considered here, and many of these characteristics and styles can be acquired to ensure your child-rearing capability as an individual. From providing adequate breathing space and privacy to trusting your coaching and allowing them to follow their paths and ideals, here are the top 25 qualities you need to ensure you are the best version of yourself for your beloved children and family.
1. Be The Ultimate Idol
You are the first person your child will look up to, so ensure you are strong enough to guide them. Always put on a brave face to give them strength, even in difficult situations.
2. Give Unconditional Love
There will always be times when our children don’t meet our expectations or we instantly feel disappointed in them for whatever trivial reason. Don’t let this hinder showing your love for them. Empathize with your children and bestow them with ultimate support and compassion in all their decisions.
3. Always Be Patient
Being patient is one of the top traits to adopt if you are a new mother. Always stay patient with your child and be accepting of their behavior. Try to understand where they are coming from before bursting out in anger. Patience will also aid in child development and child care as it will allow you and your child to understand the aspect of a slow pace and how to work things out gently and slowly.
4. Maintain Respect
Every individual deserves respect regardless of their age. You might end up clashing on various topics and beliefs but don’t let that abstain you from giving respect to your child and hearing their opinions.
5. Be Stern
There will be times when you must be slightly strict with your children, which is necessary to guide them. Don’t mindlessly give in to their desires and requests in the name of love. Sometimes motherly love can turn into over-pampering which can negatively affect your child by making them unnecessarily demanding and hindering their potential and capabilities. Give your children critical motherly advices from time to time to build a strong character in them.
6. Emphasize Self-Care
While being a mother is a 24-hour job, it doesn’t mean you should neglect yourself. Make sure to take time for yourself and take adequate breaks; after all, a happy mom equals happy kids.
As a natural motherly instinct, women tend to give their all when caring for their children, but this can be detrimental to their physical and mental health. So, ask for help when needed. You can request a family member to babysit for a day or divide the chores to reduce the burden.
7. Spread Positivity
A positive and lively environment helps nurture the children and promotes qualities like resilience and optimism. Take part in their interests and always cheer them on in their hobbies.
8. Open Communication
Always maintain a transparent relationship with your children and allow them to share their opinions and ideals. Don’t hesitate to discuss various taboo topics like sex with them and ensure they are aware of the outside world to be able to make rational decisions on their own.
9. Be Supportive
Regardless of their personality and gender, always be supportive of their dreams and decisions. Always give motherly support to your kids, which is extremely crucial for their future. Also remember that while you can offer your opinion, never demotivate them or give negative criticism.
10. Be Approachable
Children should never hesitate to approach their parents, especially their mothers. Present yourself as a warm and approachable person and allow your children to come to you whenever in doubt or trouble instead of hiding their mistakes and feeling a sense of fear towards you.
11. Build Trust
Build unshakable trust with your children to maintain a happy and healthy relationship. Guiding them in the right direction is essential, but building trust makes them more independent and better decision makers. It takes motherly wisdom to gain the trust of your growing children so that they share every little thing with their mother.
12. Be Concise In Your Speech
Children, especially younger children, find it easier to grasp and understand crisp instructions. Motherly guidance helps them take small but firm steps in life, but make sure not to over-explain. Leave something for them to explore and realize.
13. Follow Your Intuition
Sometimes, it’s best to follow your heart and gut feeling before making any decision regarding your child. No mother is handed parenting guidelines or a book to swear by, so act on what you think would be ideal and suitable for your child.
14. Show Empathy
Being empathic is a vital motherly role in proper parenting. You can emphasize in various ways: for instance, respecting their unique personalities and showing genuine interest in their activities and likings.
15. Be Attentive
While taking breaks is non-negotiable, don’t let this turn into complete negligence. You shouldn’t compromise your child for work and let them roam around without parental supervision. Motherly care in all forms is crucial, and being attentive to your child’s behavior is the first thing to ensure that they won’t follow wrong guidance and adopt rebellious behavior.
Geeta, a blogger shares her experience of learning to be a new mom. She shares how her little one has changed her over time in 3 years. She wrote, “I try to listen to my toddler “Vyom”, attentively and with understanding, even though his language skills are still developing. I also remain calm when giving him medicine, using storytelling as a way to make his experience more enjoyable (i).”
16. Be Authentic
Every mother is different and knows what’s best for her children. Don’t compare yourself with others, and be your genuine self. Be confident in yourself, focus on your strengths as a mother, and truly believe in your decision.
17. Stay Humble
If you ever find yourself on the wrong side of the situation and need to apologize, don’t hesitate. Teaching your children that it is crucial to apologize when you are wrong is extremely important and is only obeyed when done by their ultimate role model – their mother.
18. Make Children Independent
Constantly catering to their needs and wants will only result in extreme dependency and promote separation anxiety in your absence. Instead, don’t always be around them and even give minimal tasks they can carry out effortlessly.
19. Give Personal Space
Everyone requires privacy, and surely no one appreciates toxic intruding behavior. Ensure you don’t fall into that category just because you wish to guarantee your child’s safety and keep them away from delinquency. Your child might feel uncomfortable with your hovering or helicopter parenting style. It might also hinder them from being completely independent.
20. Avoid Negative Thoughts
With parenting comes immense responsibilities and pressure, so don’t be too hard on yourself and enjoy the whole process. Along with children, we also learn many things ourselves. You will often find yourself making mistakes but don’t let them create self-doubt, overwhelm you, and question your parenting style.
21. Maintain A Routine
Staying consistent and following a daily routine will help the children fall into proper discipline and understand the value of time. Prepare a weekly or daily schedule for your child beforehand. For instance, wake them up at a fixed time, do not let homework or screen time overlap, and introduce some mother and child special bonding sessions.
While daily routine is important, a strict mundane schedule can easily bore children. Make sure to spice things up occasionally and incorporate fun activities like finger painting or building blocks.
22. Be Forgiving
As the adult in the situation, you have to act like one, so don’t hold any grudges or be stubborn in your ideals. Motherly affection is the key to understanding that children will make mistakes, which is a given, but you must be forgiving and gently make them understand their faults.
23. Give Compliments
It’s a motherly responsibility to build your kid’s confidence. A big self-esteem and confidence booster is to simply shower your kids with compliments. It will not only positively impact them but also make them understand the importance of self-love.
24. Be Reliable
A quality we don’t stress enough is being reliable, which is the number one characteristic every mother should have. Children tend to be more open and honest when they see their mother as a reliable figure who they can lean on in difficult times.
25. Be Interactive
Spending time with your children to help them complete their homework may not be enough. It is important to help them learn social skills. Spend quality time with them and connect through interactive and fun play sessions. These activities promote real bonding and creativity and help them develop self-control.