What makes a great mom??

I have been taking a little break from this blog, since I haven't been able to come up with any new topics to blog about. Life with a baby is busy, everyday is different but yet somewhat the same. Baby Tyler and I have been busy with play dates, running errands, swimming and chilling at home, so there is really nothing "exciting" to blog about. But when the new issue of Today's Parents arrived at my door, I knew there is something I can write about.

This month's issue focused on moms (obviously, since Mother's day is coming up), and the cover story is "What makes a great mom?". That's a really good question, I ask myself this question all the time. I would like to say that being a good mom is providing a loving environment for our little ones to grow up in, but nowadays it seems like it is much more complicated than that. Our generation of "hipster" parents are all about material things, it seems like if you don't have the latest toys and gear, you are depriving your baby! I guess being a great mom is very subjective, so after reading the whole magazine, I still don't know what really makes a great mom. However, I realize the type of mom I DON'T want to be...an over competitive mom. One of the articles in the magazine talks about why moms are so competitive, the competitiveness is often a result of being insecure; mothers are always under the microscope, judging and being judged on everything. I have never been a very competitive person, I tend to go with the flow,but I can totally see why it is so easy to fall into the trap of being a competitive mom.

For example, I am very fortunate to be able to spend my maternity leave with a lot of other mommies, and Tyler gets to meet and "play" with other babies. With having so many other babies around the same age, it is hard not to compare them to each other. I know that each baby develops differently, but it is hard not to be worry/wonder why my 6 months old was not rolling over, while my friend's 4 month's old baby is already sitting up. And I know this type of comparison will eventually turn into competitiveness, which can only become worse as our kids grow up, which is precisely what I fear. Growing up, my parents were really easy on my sister and I, they never really pushed us to play piano, tutoring, etc, as long as we did our best, it was okay for them. I really hope I can be like that with baby T, I don't want to be the typical chinese mom who shuffle my son from piano lesson, soccer practice, kumon and other extracurricular activities, all I want for him is to enjoy his childhood. So from now on, instead of obsessing about Tyler's every development milestone, sleep habits, etc, I am going to try to go with the flow, and enjoy my little one and promise to shower him with love, cuddles and tons of kisses!!

And to my friends, if I become one of those competitive and obsessive moms in the future, please give me a gentle reminder! =)