I recently read a post by a mom who was worried because she hadn’t updated her child’s baby book in over a year. One mom commented back, “What’s a baby book?” Thought that was very funny and very telling. I admitted that I don’t have any of my kids’ baby books done and I’m not worried about it. Now that my kids are getting older, there’s LOTS more things to worry about. Just goes to show that there are lots of types of moms out there.
So, I’ve made up a “what type of mom are you?” quiz. If you don’t have kids, don’t feel left out. You could decide what kind of mom your own mother was and share the results with her – she’d LOVE that. Or, rate your friends or siblings. The possibilities are endless.
Breastfeeding
a. You breastfed your child until they were one year’s old in order to get the maximum benefits of breast milk.
b. You tried it, didn’t love it but hung in there until you felt okay about feeding your baby formula or you supplemented.
c. Line up ten kids and let me know if you can tell who’s been breastfed.
Nutrition
a. I only buy organic and monitor everything my kids eat.
b. We try to eat healthy but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do – fast food is a necessity at times.
c. My kids are growing, right?
Bedtimes
a. My child has a set bedtime and neither hell nor high water will change it.
b. You do the best you can to get your child to bed at a reasonable time. Sometimes you just have to be flexible.
c. Bedtimes are so restricting.
Organized Activities
a. My child is allowed to be involved in one organized activity at a time.
b. I recognize the danger of over-scheduling children, but sometimes activities overlap for a small amount of time.
c. I like to run around like a chicken with my head cut off – I say more is more.
Parenting Books
a. I love to read parenting books – they give me guidance and direction.
b. I only read the ones that apply to me at a certain time in my child’s life.
c. There’s a special place in hell for parenting books.
Chores
a. My child(ren) all have specific chores to do and there are consequences when they are not completed.
b. My child(ren) have specific chores but sometimes it’s easier and faster to do something myself.
c. Please define “chore”.
Discipline
a. I believe in the “love and logic” principle of discipline with firm consequences.
b. It all depends on the situation.
c. I yell because I care.
Okay – add up your a’s, b’c and c’s. If you have mostly a’s: You are a “by the book” kind of mom. You run a tight ship and it shows. If you have mostly b’s: You are a “realistic” kind of mom. You’ve got a handle on things, but there’s room for flexibility. If you have mostly c’s: You are a “free flow” kind of mom. You’re probably a lot of fun at parties and are way more spontaneous than me.
The bottom line here is that there are all kinds of moms and no one is perfect. I think that so often women are hard on themselves and are made to feel like they’re not doing a good job. My litmus test is: Is this going to matter in five years? If the answer is no, move on and worry about something else. And remember, when mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.
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