What makes a great mum?
Ever wondered what the professionals would say about your parenting skills? Well, wonder no more. Columnist and author Rebecca Abrams, childcare expert Penelope Leach, and other specialists in the parenting field share with us their thoughts on what makes a great mum.
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- Playful parents
- Practise makes perfect
- Trusting your instincts
- The diplomat
- The responsive mother
- Unconditional love
"The greatest mothers (and fathers come to that) are the ones who don't only
love their children but also enjoy being with them. The kind of parent who looks
forward to Christmas and thinks the school holidays are too short rather than
too long...!"
Penelope Leach, childcare expert
A good read: "'The Social Toddler' (CP Publishers, £19.99) by Helen and Clive Dorman. "It's expensive, because it's full of photo stories, but worth every penny, especially if your beloved baby seems to be turning terrible." Penelope's new version of "Your Baby and Child" (Dorling Kindersley £16.99) is also available in stores now.
"What makes a great mother? Perhaps you need to carefully choose your own mother!
So much is learned from our own mothers and there are often correlations between,
for example, the way a little girl was born and the kind of birth she goes on
to have."
Dr Michel Odent, water-birth pioneer who runs the Primal Health
Research Centre in London
A good read: "As for books - a mother said to me recently 'since I've had a child, I am learning so much from my child, what can I do with all the books on parenting which I have bought . . . '"
"My basic philosophy is that a mother needs to learn to trust her instincts.
There is no one perfect parenting pattern - we all have different personalities
and different lifestyles. Many mothers are preoccupied with trying to provide
the best for their child. In fact you don't need to lavish a lot of money on
your child. Time is far more important than material things, and a great mother
makes her child feel good about himself."
Dr Carol Cooper, GP and author
A good read: "I'd recommend my new book 'Johnson's Mother & Baby' (Dorling Kindersley, £17.99) published next month."
"A great mother sees her children for who they are, not who she wants them
to be or what she wants them to become. My 8-year-old daughter has a rather
different view. She says a great mother is one 'who doesn't spoil her children,
but isn't too strict; who sets clear rules and is kind and explains things calmly
instead of shouting' !!! Not sure whether I meet these criteria or not..."
Rebecca Abrams, columnist and author
A good read: "I've been told my own book, 'Three Shoes, One Sock and No Hairbrush: Everything You Need to Know About Having Your Second Child' (Cassell £9.99) has saved the sanity of many new mothers-of-two. I found Steve Biddulph's 'Raising Boys' (Thorsons £7.99) very helpful, it gave me much-needed insight into the mysterious world of my ball-mad, tractor-fixated son."
"She is a woman who has loving support herself, learns from her children -
and goes on learning."
Sheila Kitzinger, childcare expert.
A good read: "The book of mine which is probably most relevant is 'Talking with Children about Things that Matter' (Pandora £9.99) by Sheila Kitzinger & Celia Kitzinger."
"I think it's a Yeats poem that ends: 'Only God my dear could love you for
your self alone and not your yellow hair'. Which to me is just what a great
mother is - someone who lets their children know that they are loved for themselves
alone and not their yellow hair."
Dorothy Einon, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at University College
London
A good read: "I'd recommend my first book 'Golden Rules of Parenting', Dorothy Einon (Random House, £6.99)."
Where to next?
- What kind of mum are you? Read our feature, and tell us here
- Check out more great features
- Win a great prize - enter a babyworld competition now!
