Do you think you are a better mother now than your mother was then?

Not a chance. My mother had the patience of an angel! She gave up her dream of being a doctor and became a nurse so she could make time for her family. When she had us kids she stopped working altogether so she could be at home with us. When money was tight, she grew a market garden and sold veggies at farmers markets so she could raise income but still be a stay at home mom. She (and dad) set aside money for our education and our wedding. As a parent, I'm way more career focused. I work part time because I just couldn't be a full time stay at home mom and while I do set aside money for my daughters education and future, I could never be as self sacrificing as my own mom was. I love her so much for that! As for the patience, I've discovered that so much patience is needed for children. I've never been a patient woman but I'm learning!

well back then what they called discipline is now called abuse so yes. I think that all mothers believe they are a little bit better than their own mothers. My mother used to yell and get in fights and spank us kids and now I do not yell, I do not fight and I never lay a hand on my children. :) I think me and my mother have different parenting styles and that is fine but in the long run I do believe that I have better parenting styles. Although that might be because of advertisements and everything that is on tv and magazines about new hot moms as well. I think I do base my life off of what advertisements say will make me a good mom and I am proud to say that I do that. :) I know that my mother was more abusive and she really was "old-fashioned" to us now that we live in more modern day times. :) It is somehow hard for grandmas to grasp the new technology and new behaviors so I believe that every generation just gets better and better for the world today. :)

My kids are 8 and 10 and up until this age no, I feel we are/were both good parents. I rely a lot on the techniques my mom used. She was great at finding alternative punishments to spanking etc. and was very fun and loving.

Then when I was 10 she up and left my dad and we did not see her for 3 months and life as we knew it was over, it was awful (long story I will not go into).

Now as an adult I understand most of why she did it, but the way she did it was so unfair to all of us and left my sisters and I messed up for years before we could deal with all that followed her leaving, both parents remarrying, step parents etc. etc.

So as of 10 and on I am a better parent than she was because you really cannot be an active parent states away from your child. I cannot imagine walking out on my kids the way she did.

Yes, for sure. I learned from my mother's mistakes and judging by how close I am with my children and how distant I always was form my mother as a child, I can probably guess accurately that I'm a better mother.

Yeah, I do. My family all think I'm too lenient with my son. They think I let him away with too much and think that he shouldn't have so many choices. They think that he should be disciplined more, but their idea of discipline is shouting and smacking.

I like to teach my son to respect people, therefore I have to respect him, because he'll learn from me. I let him make his own choices, except important things such as going to school etc, and I don't baby him. I don't talk down to him, I treat him the way that I want to be treated.

My family didn't treat me this way. They basically thought that children should be told what to do, they don't have their own mind and they shouldn't be given so many choices.

I might be a bit soft on my son at times, but at least we have a good relationship, and respect each other.

I never smack him, and I very rarely have to punish him. The only problems I have with him, is him being lazy, and me having to tell him over and over again, sometimes, to do something.

I didn't have any respct for my parents, basically because they didn't seem to have any respect for me. If I misbehaved, they didn't take any time to speak to me, the way that I do with my son. I began to resent them, to the point where I didn't listen to anything that they said, and just did my own thing.

Hopefully the relationship I have with my son will continue, even when he's older.

My mom will always be a better mom than me. I myself like to consider myself a good mom, but I will never hold a candle to my mother, as she is an amazing piece of stuff :-)

I think I'm a much better mother than my mother ever was.

yes.

my mother wasnt, and still isnt "present" emotionally or physically for us. it has always been about whatever current boyfriend she has. and in her 50's with grandkids, she is still like this. I am used to it, but i still dont really get why the flavor of the week always was and still is more important than her family.

I do everything in my power to be present for my kids. I left my job to work from home, so i could be the one here, i can be them one picking them up from school, making dinner, ect.

No, my mother is fantastic with children. I knew I had a good childhood, but only now do I realise how incredibly hard she worked.

I have quibbles with how she parents teen-agers, though, and hope I don't make similar mistakes when my turn for that comes up.

i think my mother is a better mother then me. i treat my son good and such, but she had better qualities as a parent. plus things were easier back then.