Being a mother is a dream many women have, but only few of them actually understand the consequences and responsibility that come with it. The result of that usually affects children negatively throughout their whole lives. To help you avoid this mistake, Freesia chose these 4 advices that’ll make you a good mother:

1. Maintain a Positive Communication:

This applies to children of all ages. Starting from birth, care for and respect your child’s emotions. If your child cries, don’t let him/her “get over it by their own.” No matter what they’re crying about, it’s not “silly” to them. And if you think ignoring or shouting at them to stop will make them more independent, you’re wrong; research proved it will only make them aggressive and emotionally dependent as they grow. So, if your children start crying, hug them and give them support. For older kids, try to listen to them even if they’re saying the most trivial things and help them when asked. But most importantly, support their important events, talents and ideas.

2. Separate Yourself from Them:

Many mothers tend to think that their kids are an extended version of them, so they interfere with everything their kids do and even get mad when their kids do things differently than they want them to. However, this only causes children to become dependent adults and some feel suffocated by their mothers. You should understand that your child is his own person who has his own beliefs and ideals. You should also allow your children to do things from their homework to dealing with people, even those you don’t like, on their own so they’d be able to handle problems and form their own opinions on people as they grow.

3. Help Them Become Better People:

Giving your children their personal space doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give them advices that’d improve them as people and help them become the people they want to be. If you see your children doing something wrong, tell them that, but make sure they understand why it is wrong instead of just yelling at them or using the classic: “because I said so.” Furthermore, encourage them to practice sports and try as hard as you can to give them the chance to try out different sports as sports can increase kids’ confidence and improve their team-working skills. Nevertheless, if you see that your child does not like a certain sport, don’t push him/her but try to find another sport or skill, like playing music, that they like. Remember, your kids have their own personalities and they are allowed to love and hate different things.

4. Set a Good Example:

Children tend to copy and idolize their mothers. That’s why you should be careful how you act around them. If you keep cussing in front of your child, how can you expect him/her to be polite to others? Moreover, although some people think mothers shouldn’t work, successful working mothers can actually inspire their kids to be serious about their lives and have goals. Mothers can also set a good example for their kids by maintaining a healthy relationship with others by being nice to people and not gossiping about them.

This is what it takes to be a good mother. You can always use the help of more books about the issue. Nevertheless, try to make sure you’re prepared for this great responsibility before deciding to have kids.