Top Ten Ways to be a Better Mother

I don't know about you guys, but I struggle daily with this one.  Rarely does a day pass that I haven't started and ended it without some sort of prayer along these lines...Lord, help me be a better mother.  God, give me more patience, Jesus, let me not yell at my children today, and so on and so forth.  So, after researching this topic a bit, doing some soul searching, and lots of praying, here are my top ten ways to be a better mother.

1. Pray, pray and then pray some more.  Children are a gift from God, so surely he'll help when it comes to raising them.  Pray for His help and guidance every day.
2. Spend time listening to your kids.  Even if its only for 10 minutes, give them your undivided attention.  Your child will love having mom listen to them, and only them.  This shows them that you respect and value them and what they have to say.
3. Encourage your children.  Praise them for the little things.  Sometimes I feel like I seem to only notice the things they do wrong, rather than what they do right.  Its so important to notice good behavior and correct choices.  How often do we go through our day not noticing all the hours that they played nicely together, shared their toys, did their schoolwork without complaint, etc.  If you're anything like me, you probably don't comment on that behavior, but we sure notice when they start bickering or yelling at each other.
4. Have fun with your children.  This one can be tough to do.  As moms, we have so many responsibilities to keep our homes running smoothly.  Its easy to forget the importance of taking time to laugh and play with our kids.  So, put down the laundry, put off washing those dishes, and take a few minutes and go play them.  You'll make memories they'll never forget.
5. Take care of yourself.  It goes without saying that if you feel good, everything seems a bit better.  When I am sick, tired, or just plain grumpy, everything my kids do seems so much worse.  So, even though its really, really tempting to stay up late to watch TV, read a book, or catch up on some chores, don't.  Your days will go so much better if you get a good night's sleep. 
6. Read together.  Even though my kids can all read independently, we still read together.  Snuggling up on the couch with a good book simply can't be beat.  Its also a great way to inspire their own love of reading.
7. Respect dad.  Always speak highly of dad in front of the kids.  Even if you're mad as can be, keep it to yourself.  It is so, so easy to make a comment here or there when your hubby makes you angry, but its never good for your children to hear negative comments about their dad.  Trust me, I've been there, and he will hear about it.  My daughter has a knack for repeating things I've said in anger at the most inopportune moments.  Thankfully, my hubby has a sense of humor.
8. Think before you speak.  Oh boy do I struggle with this one!  If I think it, out it comes.  I really, really need to work on thinking about what I'm about to say, and how it might be construed, before actually speaking.  Children are incredibly resiliant, but enough negative comments can seriously effect how they see themselves.  We want to build them up, not tear them down.
9. Have a date night with your kids.  This is something I keep meaning to do, but haven't started yet.  This doesn't have to be expensive or time consuming.  Keep it simple.  Take one of your children out to McDonald's for a sundae.  Go for a nature walk.  Just spend some time alone together.  Not only will this strengthen your relationship with your child, but you might just have fun too.
10. Pray some more.  I know I started with this one, but it is literally that important.  Pray for them, and with them.  There is nothing more powerful in this world than the power of prayer.

I sincerely hope that you find something helpful in my list.  I personally struggle with my parenting skills (or lack thereof) constantly.   So, when you're working on numbers 1 and 10 in my list, please remember to pray for me as well, and I'll be praying for you too.  For more Top 10 Tuesday posts, be sure to visit Oh Amanda's blog.