Running for election as A Pretty Darn Good Mom

(first published 12/08/09)
It's not like I'm determined to be The Best Mom Ever, but I do want to be A Pretty Darn Good Mom. But I do have some questions about my daily activities, and I wonder "Am I doing okay?"

Is it really so wrong to let your 3 month old watch "Dora the Explorer" every once in awhile? The show has bright colors, has random short spots of music, and is engaging and personally interactive - the characters ask him questions constantly like, "What's your favorite color?" and "What did you like best?" It's good stuff. Especially when I want to get the dishes done ... or use the bathroom all by myself.

Also, I tell my kids when I'm doing well by them. My husband calls it a self-campaign speech. I tell my children, especially, my baby "Momma is a good singer" even though I know I'm not. When I tell them to put away their folded clothes, I remind them kindly to "Do so with respect, 'cause I spent my day doing their laundry instead of having a hobby -which is scrapbooking, not laundry." When I tell my daughter, "Look, I googled what to do to help my teen daughter make friends," I follow-up with "Aren't I the best mom ever?" And when I help my son to be treated well by those who will associate with him for the day by saying, "Please go brush your hair because it's a studied fact that good-looking people are treated better than ugly people. So if you want your school teacher and me to be nice to you, go brush your hair. And put on deoderant too ... 'cause that matters to people, especially women." Seriously it does. And I want him to get that now, instead of later. I encourage napkin use too.

And now, as the words are actually written in black and white, I wonder to myself again, "Am I doing okay?" Or should I just start investing part of our family's salary into a "Therapy Savings Account" at our local bank? The dilemmas of hoping to be a pretty darn good mom.