The Good Mommy Awards

by Lynn-Marie Tayler

My friends and I are quick to ask for the Bad Mommy Award. We turn our backs, and our child falls off the slide and scrapes his knee. Pass the BMA—we should have been paying closer attention. The kids watched six straight hours of Noggin because we were just too tired/sick/busy. Pass the BMA—we let them rot their brains. We sent them to school because we thought they were “faking it”, only to turn around two hours later to pick them up because they lost their breakfast all over the hallway. Pass the BMA—how could we not have known they really were sick?

This week, in honor of Mother’s Day (frankly, I think at the very least it should be Mother’s Week, but hey, who am I?), let’s pass around the Good Mommy Award. We are all Good Mommies, but we are often just a little too hard on ourselves to recognize it. So let’s cut ourselves some slack and tell the world why we deserve the Good Mommy Award. For example, I get the Good Mommy Award because I: let my children have ice cream for breakfast; sang Moon River AND The Rainbow Connection before bedtime last night; demonstrated compassion for them in taking care of an elderly friend. Here are some ways other women have earned the Good Mommy Award this week. Please add yours in the comments section at the end.

“I hug and kiss my babies every day; I am still breastfeeding at 13 months; I’m letting my six-year old grow out his hair despite how crazy it looks!” —Jeni

“I rearranged my work schedule to spend more time with them, even though it means less money; I found their favorite DVD series in the $1 bin at Wal-Mart and bought them; I carve out mandatory cuddle-time each day.” —Amy

“My girls know they can count on me and trust me, and they understand that I love them unconditionally.” —Sonya

“When I pretend eat her foot and she tells me to put it back, I ‘spit’ it out and make her laugh; when she is being silly, I just say “I Love You”—and she tells me she loves me, too.” —Cara

“I’m very active at their school, to where almost everyone knows me as ‘J’s Mom’; I can’t stop kissing and hugging them, and they love it; they tell me out of the blue that they love me, so I must be doing something right!” —Karen B.

“I color with my girls for endless hours; I play hide-and-seek with them over and over; they know that, even if I am angry, I still love them, and I will always be their fiercest advocate.” —Karen G.

“My son is not lacking for affection—we kiss and cuddle him all the time; I have taught him the value of prayer; I remember the magic an ice cream truck brings to a kid.” —Tracy

“I can give my son his insulin shot without flinching; I can talk my daughter down from a severe tantrum and usually understand why she’s having it; I can make the hard decisions and I am good under pressure.” —Chrissa

“Even though I know I shouldn’t, I treat my daughter and myself to an ice cream cone after dance class; I lay down with each child separately to talk about the day; We ride bikes together every evening, even if I’m tired.” —Jen

“I helped my daughter set up a wonderful family tree for her project; I took the time to cuddle with my son this morning; I took the day off to go to their track and field event later this month; I’m working so hard (on the side) to make sure they have an awesome trip this summer.” —Kim

“I will leave the dishes in the sink, to take the kids to the park before it is dark; I read bedtime stories and say prayers with them before bedtime; I am not afraid to be a ‘mean mom’, and tell them no, when I know it is for their own good; I recognize that is ok to take a break from the kids, and go out for a moms night out, every once in awhile!” —Niki

posted at 10:32 AM