What Is a Good Mom?

Elizabeth Yank considers three different perspectives on what's important in motherhood.

Some time ago, I came upon three separate podcasts hosted by different moms, inadvertently addressing the question of what makes a good mom, each from a unique perspective.  

The Best-Made Plans, Reassessed 

One mom noted that she had big plans for the coming week but a number of more imperative, pressing issues outside of her control thwarted her best made plans. In the end, she determined that the goals she had so carefully prioritized were not as vital as the needs of her family. She needed to take her son to an unexpected and time-consuming dental appointment.

To complicate matters more, heavy snow closed the schools, meaning that her boys would be home and she could not get to her “to-do” list, which, when she had initially planned it, had appeared to be of such importance. In the end, her best-made plans had to be reassessed and ultimately she realized that the care of her children took precedence.  

A Need to Take Care of Yourself 

On another podcast, the host interviewed a pediatrician and father of eight children and now many grandchildren. The doctor’s medical recommendation was that the mother of young children needs to take care of herself. Too often in trying to meet the needs of all of her children or even one child, the mom neglects herself unwittingly in the act of selfless service to her family.

In doing so, she is not serving her family, because she has overlooked the importance of taking care of herself. This can spiral into a whole host of problems, such as depression. Therefore, a mom who takes good care of herself will be better able to take good care of her children.

Excess Contributes to Stress

In the last podcast, the host expressed the overwhelming urge she felt to encourage moms to let go of the excess items in their lives in order to live a more intentional and minimal life, so that their lives could actually be fuller. She shared the anxiety and stress she felt years ago when she had four little ones at home. At that time, she felt like she was drowning in the excessive items in her home. She just couldn’t keep up and this stress reflected in how she treated the loved ones around her. 

The speaker lamented that she wished that she would have recognized sooner that many of the items that she had purchased in the hopes of bringing happiness or an easier or simpler life actually did the opposite. She noted how much more peace and calm and happiness were in the home with fewer possessions. She also recognized that she continues today to sometimes purchases items that promise to give her joy or make her life better but often don’t live up to her expectations.

Her solution has been to let go of the items that don’t serve her or her family’s current life. She didn’t recognize she was drowning in clutter until it became overwhelming, and she recognizes that letting go is an ongoing process and not done once and finished. Her continual message to moms is that there is a better way to peace and happiness in the home, and it is not through stuff. She continually shares her story in the hopes of offering encouragement to others so that they too can have an easier, more productive and better life as a good mom. 

How Can I Love My Family?

Ultimately, the speakers in all three podcasts challenged moms to pause and reflect and prioritize what is important in their lives: in one instance, how to best manage your time, and in the other case, how to best take care of yourself, and finally how to best take care of your home by not letting your possessions take over your life rather than you controlling your possessions and managing only those that contribute to your household.

What is a good mom? She is a woman who loves her family immensely and that includes how she takes care of herself, her home, and her family.   

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Copyright 2025 Elizabeth Yank
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