Development Family

What Makes A Good Mom? 20 Characteristics Of A Good Mother

To borrow a quote from our recent every mom needs a break article, have you ever had a job where you had no experience, no training and lives are at stake?

That’s what being a mom is like.

Being a mother is the biggest job anyone can embark on, so it’s only natural to question your abilities from time to time, and to wonder what exactly are the signs of a good mother.

Society, and even well-meaning friends and relatives, can put an unrealistic pressure on a mom to be the “perfect” mother, even though no such thing exists.

If you’re feeling this pressure, then it can be comforting to realize the very fact that you are worrying about being a good mom means that you already are one.

Let’s dig a bit deeper and examine what makes a mother a mother, and look some common characteristics and qualities of a good mother.

Am I A Good Mom?

It doesn’t matter how old your child is, there are always things that can make you question your parenting skills and abilities.

From not being able to get your baby to sleep or take a bottle during the early years, to dealing with an older child that is spoiled, ungrateful or even mean, it’s common for mothers to question their abilities whatever age the age of their child.

See Also: What Makes A Good Dad? 10 Characteristics Of A Good Father

Being a “good” mom is all about your perspective, mindset, attitude and actions.

What a good mom looks like to one person might be different to another person’s definition of a good mother.

In truth, the only person who can answer whether you are a good mom or not, is you.

If you have a picture of what a good mom looks like given your particular circumstances, a picture that is totally realistic and not overly influenced by what others think or expect, and you live up to your ideals, then you can be certain that yes you are a good mom!

The hardest part of this is being realistic and rational when judging yourself and your own mothering skills.

It’s human nature to judge ourselves harshly and dwell too much on things we’ve have not done particularly well rather than celebrate our successes, so that’s where the list below can be helpful.

Take a look at the twenty qualities below that a good mother may demonstrate, not so much because these are things you should be doing, but rather these are characteristics you are probably already demonstrating on a daily basis without even realizing it.

20 Qualities Of A Good Mother

1. Unconditional Love

Perhaps the most important quality of a good mother and an undeniable sign that you’re a good mom is that you truly love your child unconditionally.

A good mom still gets angry from time to time and might perhaps say or do things in the heat of the moment, but that deep love for your child demonstrates just what a great mom you are.

2. Sacrifices

A good mom puts the needs of their child first, because she is unselfish and wants to do things that are best for her children rather than what’s best or easiest for herself.

That doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t take time out for yourself when you need to.

But anytime you do something that’s for your child rather than for yourself, you’re demonstrating the quality of a good mother.

3. Patient

Learning how to be patient takes time and effort, there’s no doubt about it.

But think back to those times when you’ve had to be patient with your son or daughter over the past few days – those instances are a sure sign that you’re a good mom.

4. Forgiving

We all make mistakes, especially when growing up.

The sign of a good mother is someone who can forgive and look past those mistakes, especially if their child learns a valuable lesson along the way.

5. Teacher

If you take a second to look back at your own childhood, there’s a decent chance many of the things you now take for granted were taught to you by either your teachers or your parents.

Another characteristic of a good mother is wanting to teach your child how to learn or perfect a new activity or skill, and you take great pride once they’ve mastered it.

6. Empathetic

Do you ever try to put yourself in your child’s shoes to better understand their point of view?

Trying to think like your son or daughter is another quality of a good mother, and this skill helps with other characteristics like being able to forgive.

7. Role Model

Your child naturally looks up to you, so one of the most important ways to teach your child about anything is to lead by example, particularly in relation to many of the other characteristics on this list.

8. Know Your Limits

A good mom knows where her expertise lie and understands those areas where she might need help.

There’s nothing wrong with asking for help, and this characteristic is actually a positive because it means you’re doing whatever is necessary to give your child what they need.

9. Don’t Expect Perfection

Nobody is perfect, and that applies to both you and you child.

A good mom knows this, and will never expect their parenting to be perfect all of the time, because this just isn’t realistic.

Provided you are doing your best, you can relax in the knowledge that you’re a very good mother.

10. Strong

When life becomes tough, it’s important for mom to stay strong for the sake of her children.

Think back to those really difficult moments in your life while you’ve been a parent.

By getting through those times and showing your strength and resilience you’ve already demonstrated the characteristics of a good mom and have again led by example.

11. Brave

Just by getting through pregnancy and giving birth you’ve already demonstrated how brave you are.

It’s not that a good mom doesn’t feel scared or fearful while raising their children, it’s that they carry on anyway because their child needs them to do so.

12. Fun

You can let your hair down and have a great time with your child, finding balance between work and play so you can have an awesome time together.

13. Grateful

Another sign of a good mother is a woman who appreciates how lucky she is – yes, parenting can be hard work, but you realize how fortunate you are to have such a child in the first place.

14. Good Listener

Some of us are naturally better listeners than others.

But if you take the time to really listen to your child and any problems they may be telling you about, then rest assured that this demonstrates how much you really care about their wellbeing and that you want to understand their problem and come up with a solution if you can.

15. Attentive

You’re there, in the present when you speak to your child, especially when it’s an important conversation or something they would like to talk about.

16. Communicative

Raising a child is far from plain sailing, and a sign of a good mom is the ability to communicate well when times are good and during those difficult moments too.

17. Nurturing

Another quality of a good mother is that she wants to help their child learn and develop throughout their childhood by offering as much care, encouragement and support as needed.

18. Generous

Whether it be with your time, money or anything else, you like to give your son or daughter things of value because you can.

19. Reliable

You’re a mom who can be relied upon to stay true to her word and you hate letting your little one down if you’ve already agreed to something.

20. Available

When your child needs you for something that’s important to them, you’re there for them.

Even when you’re busy you make the time, because you realize that in the grand scheme of things nothing is more important than family.

Conclusion

We hope you found the list above useful if you’re questioning whether you are a good mother.

The truth is that by being here and reading this, you are most probably a very good mom!

Why?

Because a bad mother probably doesn’t care if they are doing a good job or not, and the last place you would find them is reading an article on what makes a good mother.

See Also: Navigating Your Child’s Early Development

Tori is mama to 3 year old Isabella and co-founder of Rockinbaby. She has a BSc in Psychology, is a certified yoga teacher and is a working mom. In her free time Tori loves cooking delicious foods and baked treats, entertaining and working out. Learn more about Tori here.

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