What makes a good parent?

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

I disagree mbear - my DS cannot have chocolate due to allergies. A good mother doesn't give up her chocolate to her child in my house! A good mother also stops Grandma giving chocolate to her children too. I would die for the lad, but I wouldn't give him chocolate! (He refuses it now anyway.)

I also don't think self-sacrifice makes a good mother necessarily. A "martyr mummy" (as I had growing up) is VERY hard to live with. By all means give up your wants for your child's needs, but neglecting your needs isn't going to help and will leave you feeling resentful. And whinging that you never get new clothes because you're buying your other child a car to the child who you refuse to help financially doesn't help either.

eta - CM, that's why I said a good mother shows a loving front to the child! As you know, I think Liebling is great and of course I love him (whatever love means), but he's not my child and I don't love him the way all these other mothers say they love their children. He's a nice kid and does cute things - but I could walk away tomorrow without a problem. I'm his primary carer, not his mother. And have only not left already because DH has taken the car and DS would be home alone and that's not responsible.