Thursday 12 January 2012

What kind of mother do I want to be?

I want to be the kind of mom who can :

1) Cook a nutritious meal for her kids everyday. Or at least meals that will allow them to reach their full potential height of 6'5" when they are adults.

2) Teach her kids how to say "Please, thank you, sorry, excuse me" at the appropriate times. "Good morning, hello, good bye uncle/auntie" and you get the picture.

3) Potty train her kids. This one is so damn hard. Why is it so hard?! WHY? Why does no one else seem to have any problems?! The mere thought of potty training makes my eyes fill with tears - the stress, the mess, the shouting, the wretched feeling of failure when the potty is always empty and the floor is not, James' detachment from me for weeks after each failed attempt.

4) Teach her kids to be appreciative of the things mommy and daddy does for them. e.g. Hug daddy when he buys him a toy he really wants, instead of just taking it without comment, or worse, EXPECTING the toy like it's his God-given right.

5) Be patient when her kids are being "lau kai" (usually when they are sick) and unreasonable. A mom who has the presence of mind to redirect her anger, when she is reaching boiling point.

6) Teach them to communicate and socialise well with other people and with their own family.

7) Be a confidant to her kids.

8) Understand her kids, make them feel understood and know how to handle them and get the best out of them.

9) Be both beloved AND feared by her kids, no matter what age they are. Like black women who can still whup the asses of their full-grown, muscular, Glock-packin' gangsta sons when they are being disrespectful.

10) Keep her kids healthy, well, happy and ALIVE.