How to Be a Good Mom to a Toddler
From the moment you find out you are expecting a child until the day you depart this earth, it̵7;s likely that your primary goal is to be a good mother. At times this will be very easy and other times, such as the toddler years ̵1; and probably the teenage years ̵1; this could feel a bit difficult. The truth is there is no right way to be a good mom to your toddler. As long as he is happy, healthy, safe and loved you are a good mom. However, you can do a lot more to make yourself an even better good mom to that sweet ̵1; sometimes frustrating ̵1; toddler of yours.
Instructions
Let go of your unrealistic expectations of what a good mother is, advises Deborah Linggi, mother and communications consultant in San Diego. To be a good mom to your toddler you have to have realistic expectations of what a good mom looks like. You can be a good mom even if you don̵7;t have time to fix your hair, your socks are different colors, you gave him a cookie first thing in the morning to keep him quiet in the grocery store and your house is a little messy. Perfection is not an attainable attribute, and you should not feel like you aren̵7;t a good mom because you aren̵7;t perfect. Additionally, you shouldn̵7;t let others make you feel like you aren̵7;t a good mom because you aren̵7;t perfect; they aren̵7;t either. Create a routine and stick to it, advises Tovah Klein, director of the Barnard College Toddler Center in New York. Your toddler̵7;s sense of safety and stability is largely derived from structure, which means providing that kind of structure for him is essential to his development. To be a good mom, make sure your morning, naptime and bedtime routines are consistent as often as possible. Of course, it isn̵7;t realistic to expect you can keep the same schedule every single day of your life, but as often as possible is good. Pay attention to your toddler̵7;s tone and body language when she̵7;s speaking to you, advises "Parenting" Magazine. Even though her language development might be stellar, she̵7;s not old enough to always articulate what she wants. For example, when she walks around saying, ̶0;Doll,̶1; it could mean anything. She could be looking for the doll, she could want you to play with the doll, she could want more dolls or she could be telling you something is wrong with the ball. A good mom pays attention to body language to help decipher exactly what it is she wants to help prevent a meltdown. Use diplomacy to help manage his moods, advises "Parenting." Your toddler is more likely to follow directions when he thinks they are his idea from the start. You can help keep the peace and make everyone happy by diplomatically making things look like his idea. For example, repeat to him on a regular basis that he will pick up his toys before naptime. When you tell him casually all day long, he̵7;s more likely to actually do it and think that it̵7;s his idea. Right before naptime try saying, ̶0;Wasn̵7;t there something you wanted to do before your nap?̶1; and let him remind you he wanted to pick up his toys. Good mom, one; bad behavior, none.
