How to be an Amazing Mom!

I, unfortunately, am not always a shining example of motherhood. I really really try most days, but sometimes, I just do a really bad job. There is no denying it. And in reality, it's sad because I know how to do it, I just choose not to.

When I was in college, I picked up the Anne of Green Gables books and read them all. I had never read them before, and wasn't interested in the slightest. I liked the movies fine, but the books just didn't appeal to me. Then I started reading out of boredom and was hooked. When I reached the end of the books, I was bummed they were done. The one that really spoke to me about motherhood specifically was Anne of Ingleside.

(Let's be REALLY clear here. I KNOW it's fictional, I KNOW it's a novel, but that doesn't negate the fact that Lucy Maud Montgomery had some important information in her books. Anne is fictional and somewhat romanticized but that doesn't make me not want to be like her.)

From The Diet Coke Diet

So without further ado How to be an Amazing Mom ala Anne Shirley Blythe: 

1. Don't yell at your kids

Anne tends to be very patient to her children. She only yells once in the whole book and feels badly about it. (This is first because I think her level of patience is ONLY possible in a fictional character. But it gives me hope that I can be better...)

2. You don't have to bake cookies to be a good mom. 

Anne has a maid, actually, and the maid does the cooking. 

3. Cherish the little moments.

When her children are small, Anne is very good about enjoying the little things with them. She doesn't waste time being bored or grumpy. 

4. Listen to your children

Her kids have a lot to say, and Anne tries her best to hear what they are saying. 

5. Teach you children to be polite. 

She is always referring to her children as being ladies and gentlemen. Manners are a lost art in our society. 

Mostly, when I reread the Anne Books, I want to be a better kinder mother. I am not perfect. I will never be storybook perfect, and I know that. But at least this gives me a goal to aim for right?

If you have never read the Anne Books, well, then you should. Admittedly, I skip some parts here and there when the 100 year old descriptions get a bit flowery, but the stories, by and by are sweet and timeless. I don't get tired of them. :)