8 Qualities of a Great Mom | Learning to Be a Great Mom

While no two moms are identical, they all seem to exemplify these 8 qualities of a great mom. In partnership with Hefty®, I’m excited to honor my mom this Mother’s Day as we celebrate ultra strong moms everywhere!

Have you ever heard the phrase: “I opened my mouth and my mother came out!”? While this has been true of me over the years (especially since my mom and I sound alike), I’m finding it to be more and more of a reality. I’m turning into my mother… and I couldn’t be more thrilled!

My mom has been an example of each of these eight qualities of a great mom to me over the years, and it is my hope to follow in her footsteps as I seek to emulate each of these qualities as I raise my own children.

Quality of a Great Mom: Patience

Patience is a quality of a great mom that I’ve seen my mom exhibit over the years. Especially now, as a mom with multiple kids, I can truly appreciate all the times when my mom exhibited patience with me and my siblings.

As I experience trying moments with my own kids, I’m reminded daily of my mom’s patience with me over the years, and I’m encouraged to exercise patience with my own children.

It’s not always easy, but her example to me has been a great resource!

Quality of a Great Mom: Strength

My mom has always been a woman full of strength. As I look back over the years, I can recall example after example of my mom being strong for me and my family.

Whether it was stepping into a new role to help my dad provide financially when times were tough or holding it together while watching one of us kids go through a painful physical illness or injury, she stayed strong through it all.

She is my example when life starts to overwhelm me – when I just want to give up and run away from it all.

Only once do I remember a time when she “lost it,” and even then, we knew we were safe and everything would be OK. Her constant strength was (and remains) a safe place for us to come home to no matter what.

Great Moms are Ultra Strong Moms

Hefty® is helping to celebrate strong moms in honor of Mother’s Day because they know great moms are ultra strong just like Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags!

Ultra strong moms, like my mom, know how important it is to do a job right the first time. Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags help ultra strong moms:

contain the trash – with a break resistant grip drawstring that prevents the bag from falling inside the can,
eliminate the smell – with ARM & HAMMER™ patented odor neutralizer,

and avoid messes – with Triple Action Technology to resist tears, punctures, and leaks.

Quality of a Great Mom: Humility

My mom knew what she was capable of – and what she wasn’t – and she wasn’t afraid to apologize to her children when she messed up. Her humility is an example to me each and every day.

This is a quality of a great mom that I truly long to emulate as well as my mom has. I want to be a mom who is able to be transparent and honest with my kids about my own shortcomings and failures, allowing them to see grace at work in my life.

Quality of a Great Mom: Respect

Respect is a quality of a great mom that my mom showed and taught me well.

Outside of our home, my mom taught me how to respect others in the community, those in authority, and those who may not have earned our respect. She demonstrated respect in all circumstances and taught me to do so as well.

Inside our home, my mom taught me the importance of respecting your spouse as she showed respect to my dad as the head of our family. Even though she was the primary disciplinarian and caregiver of us kids, she never failed to seek my dad’s input and yield to his authority on matters. We knew that Dad was the final authority on all matters, and as such learned to respect him just as my mom did.

My mom’s example of showing respect has grounded me and helped me to be a better mother to my children, wife to my husband, and member of society as a whole.

Quality of a Great Mom: Authority

As I have become a mother myself, I have come to appreciate more and more my mom’s example of authority.

She wasn’t afraid to set boundaries and establish rules in our home. And unlike my own parenting struggle, she was careful to follow through on imposed consequences and discipline when we failed to stay within those boundaries or follow the rules.

My mom’s authority was never in question, and as such, we knew we could count on her to follow through on whatever she said – whether it was a positive outcome or negative consequence.

Quality of a Great Mom: Support

My mom has always been my biggest supporter, even to this day. When I need something, I know I can call or text her, and she’ll do her best to be available.

When I need a babysitter during the day or overnight, she will often rearrange her own schedule to be available.
If one of my kids has an event (musical performance, sporting event, etc.), she does her best to be in the stands cheering them on, even though she lives an hour away.
When I’m having a rough day and need someone to listen, she’ll sit on the phone with me for as long as I need, letting me just talk through life.

This example of support – a quality of a great mom – has helped me to look for ways to support my own kids. I’m more intentional about pushing myself out of my comfort zone and/or rearranging my schedule to be available for them, whatever their need.

Quality of a Great Mom: Love

It should be obvious that love is a quality of a great mom, but so many times, I have taken my mom’s love for me for granted.

I recently heard a definition of love that struck me, and I think it describes a mother’s love so well: “Love is doing what is best for the other person, regardless of the cost.”

Sometimes it costs a great mom sleepless nights or the short-term wrath of their children in order to best love them – to help them to grow up to be responsible and independent adults.

As a mom, I’ve discovered that what kids feel as loving or unloving in the moment is not always the whole picture. Doing what is best for your kids doesn’t always mean making them happy in the moment but seeking the best for their long-term benefit. My mom has set a great example for me to follow.

Quality of a Great Mom: Delegation

My mom knew she couldn’t do it all. And she didn’t try to do it all. She set a great example of delegation.

With three kids in the house, she made sure we all pulled our weight and chipped in to help out, especially as we reached the teen years.

We didn’t have “chores” – we were just expected to help clean up after ourselves and keep the house looking somewhat tidy (washing dishes, taking out the trash, cleaning the bathroom, etc.).

If she needed to be gone somewhere, the older kids took turns watching the younger kids. We knew better than to expect monetary compensation for babysitting our siblings – it was simply our role as a part of the family.
When we got our driver’s licenses, we were given access to the family vehicles with the stipulation and understanding that chauffeuring our younger siblings was a part of the deal.

My mom understood that “many hands make light work,” and she was better able to focus on the tasks that only she could do for our family by delegating the other tasks to us as we became old enough to do them.

I’m Becoming My Mother

As I said earlier, I’m becoming my mother… and I couldn’t be happier!

My mom has shown me how to live out these qualities of a great mom over the years, and my kids are now reaping the benefits. Her example of strength and endurance through the years has inspired me to be a strong mom for my kids.

I am so appreciative of her example of motherhood, and I hope to set a similar example for my own kids!