Good Mom Bad Mom

I love the whole good cop bad cop scene that plays out in the Lego movie.

It’s so reminiscent of the Good Mom Bad Mom scenarios that play out daily in our home…the difference is that even though the kids perceive me as BAD mom at times, my motivations always have their best interest at heart.

The things I ask them to do…urge them to do…force them to do☺ are what I feel is best for them. Unfortunately, they don’t see it that way.

I’m not trying to get them to eat their veggies because I want to see them suffer but rather because I know how nutrient rich those veggies are.

I’m not forcing them to power off and go outside and play a sport or be physically active as a means of torture but so they might live a full and healthy life.

I’m not asking them to brush their teeth and wash their hands and shower to be mean.

I’m not reminding them to read, do their homework, say their prayers or practice their instruments to be cruel.

But when I urge these behaviors I am perceived as BAD Mom, or Mean Mom.

Sometimes I will actually do something that isn’t really good for them and they will tout me as ‘The Best Mom Ever’ like when I take them for fast food, to the candy store or for a slushie. They may be singing my praises but it doesn’t make me feel like a very Good Mom. It’s funny how that goes.

Currently Bad Mom is there’s a battle to get our kids to swim.

‘Why do you make us swim?’ They ask, for which they always hear the same response but it’s not a good enough answer…

Why do you swim…that’s easy; we love you, swimming is a life skill, we often spend time at the lake or on a boat so its important to know how to swim, swim club is an activity we can do as a family, you are part of a team and you can’t quit because it’s important to stick with commitments, it’s good to be physically active etc, etc, etc. Those are all valid reasons but never good enough reasons for them.

So with their best interests at heart we are perceived as BAD parents.
So I’ll risk being a BAD Mom who makes her kids eat their veggies, who gets them to clean up their mess, do their homework, practice their piano, follow through on commitments, limit their time on electronics. Because even if they perceive me as a BAD mom I’m doing my best to be GOOD Mom and hopefully one day they realize that.