Motherhood can be one of the most beautiful experiences that a woman can have in her entire life - and it can also be one of the most stressful! After all, there are so many different things that can happen when you raise children: what if one of them is sick? What if they have discipline problems? What if they think you're a poor mother? When you're about to become a mother - or are even in the midst of being a mother - it's hard to have perspective on how good of a job you're doing in raising your children.
But no matter what you think about yourself as a mother, chances are, you're already doing a terrific job. No one has written the definitive book on being a perfect mother; in fact, hundreds of books a year are published on how to be the perfect parent, so it's pretty obvious that no one has stumbled onto the magic formula yet! Here's the secret: motherhood isn't something that you can be "perfect" at. Rather, all you can do is try your best and to have a sense of humor about scenarios that you may encounter while raising your children.
In fact, a sense of humor is one of the greatest tools that you have at your disposal when raising children. It's easy to get caught up in the stresses of everyday life - after all, between your job, running a household and maintaining your relationship with your partner, keeping your child happy and healthy can seem like a daunting task! But it's important to remember that a sense of humor will take the anxiety and edge out of the stress that permeates into life as a mother. So what if your child painted on the bathroom walls? So what if your child decided to raid your makeup and decorate his or her face? Take a deep breath, count to ten and laugh - this will keep everything in perspective.
Another key to being a great mother is to be a little creative. Children have an uncanny ability of throwing the most unexpected scenarios your way, and at times when it's the most inconvenient. Try not to get too upset, especially with younger children, as unpredictability goes hand in hand with raising children. Spare yourself some stress and have a back-up plan for wherever you go - for example, if you travel with your child in the car often, have prepackaged snacks and games in the car at all times. That way, when your child gets cranky or is on the midst of throwing a temper tantrum, you'll be able to adapt to his or her behavior right away.
Being a great mother also means becoming more flexible in your own day-to-day schedule. Sure, when you were pregnant, it may have been easy to plan everything, even your own delivery, right down to a tee - but now that you're raising children, following a strict itinerary is not only unrealistic; it can be downright impossible! Understand that there are some things that, as a mother, are going to be out of your control - therefore, if you're the type of person that enjoys having everything in its place just so, you'll need to try to adapt as much as possible to the unpredictability that occurs when raising children. That way, when your child surprises you with a new scenario that you've never encountered before, you'll be able to adapt with less stress and anxiety - and this key to being the best mother that you can be!
By: Gareth Williams
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