Yep, I'm a Good Mom

Heather of the EO says we are a little too hard on ourselves as parents sometimes (I wholeheartedly agree!). She encouraged all of us to make a "things I am doing well as a mother" list, and I decided to hop on the bandwagon and give it a try.

1. I encourage my children to read. Aidan will sit for 30 minutes at a time while I read him stories. He loves to snuggle while reading (and I love to snuggle with him too). Ethan, who just started kindergarten, is reading at a 2nd grade level. An end of second grade level. I have instilled the love of reading in my boys, and it shows.
2. I tell them I love them, and give them hugs and kisses frequently. They know how much I love them.
3. When they talk, I listen. When they ask to play board games, I play. When they want to play ice cream truck for hours, I eat the pretend ice cream over and over.
4. I am teaching them the value of a dollar. We don't purchase everything they want at the store. We talk about budgeting, and we teach them that they don't get everything they want and to appreciate what they do get.
5. I am teaching them to love each other. They do their share of fighting, but I try to praise them when I see them playing nicely together, and it is happening more frequently now.
6. I am teaching them to love God. They enjoy reading religious childrens' books with me, and asking questions, and I love to answer them.
7. They are never hungry. Even though I hate to cook, I always make sure I have a (usually hot, sometimes sandwiches) meal on the table. I wouldn't cook if I didn't love them.
8. I encourage their creativity. You want to put on your Batman ears and cape and play superheroes? Great! You want to put on puppet shows and make up a song verse about every stuffed animal you own? Fantastic!

Boy, that took some stretching of my brain, but I do realize that my children love me, and I love them! And I am a good mom!

(My friend Lara did this one too; if you want to see what she wrote, click here.)