{"id":20529,"date":"2012-03-23T16:12:49","date_gmt":"2012-03-23T21:12:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/?p=20529"},"modified":"2012-03-23T16:12:49","modified_gmt":"2012-03-23T21:12:49","slug":"what-makes-an-incredible-mom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/articles\/topics\/parenting\/essentials\/mothers\/what-makes-an-incredible-mom\/","title":{"rendered":"What Makes an Incredible Mom?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

There was a wall in our home that was very precious to us as the boys grew. It was never painted in the twenty years we lived there. When we recently moved, I reproduced on paper those precious growth marks from each of our sons.<\/p>\n

The boys always backed up to that wall over the years to be measured to see how they were growing. The wall was their standard. It was their measuring stick to determine how much progress they’d made since the last measurement. They were anxious to know, “How am I doing? How do I measure up?”<\/p>\n

Do you ever wonder how you’re doing, how effective your mothering is? Do you wish there were a wall you could back up to so you could see how much you’ve grown, how you compare with the standards you’ve set? If I could make a measuring wall for you, I would pencil in some standards for you. “Grow toward these,” I’d encourage.<\/p>\n

1. Am I creating a positive<\/span> environment?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If we want our kids to express happy hearts, it has to begin with us. It has to be caught before it can be taught. And if we can instill positive attitudes in them, positive actions will result.<\/p>\n

It has become a natural part of our culture to be sarcastic, to put things down, to be a complainer. But when we fall into that habit, it affects our whole attitude, and soon we feel that things are bad and unfair and that we deserve better. People with absolutely wonderful lives can become frustrated and depressed just because the trend of negative attitudes has taken hold of them.<\/p>\n

What kind of atmosphere are you creating in your home? Are you capitalizing on the joys of family life and minimizing the hard things? There may be a lot you could get discouraged about, but what good would that do you? It may not be natural for you, but stop and begin to count your blessings. Focus on the good. And when your kids do the same thing, reinforce it.<\/p>\n

At our house, I often thank the boys for saying thank you. That’s positive reinforcement, and it has lasting effects.<\/p>\n

Finding nice things to say needs to be a forever rule. At dinner, especially, make it a time to enjoy one another, not to gripe and complain. Just like praise and criticism, you need ten positive statements to balance out every negative statement.<\/p>\n

Mom, I encourage you to give attention to spotting the traps of negative thinking in your house and steer your children away from them. As a result, your family will more likely enjoy:<\/p>\n