Ok Moms, this one you should be scared of, be very scared. And yes, please share this with Dads, too (they may actually love being part of our usually private mommy conversation).

Actually it’s my own quest to be a great mom that sparked fear and anxiety when this exercise came across my desk via e-mail.  Thank God for girlfriends and especially our mommy friends that keep us real and inspire us to be better. This may be the most important test you ever take.

Are you ready for the ModernMom Report Card?  

It seems only fair, does it not? We put so much pressure on our children to do well in school and be decent compassionate little people. Teachers are constantly judging and grading them every week.  We reward and punish them for all their achievements and actions. Now it’s our turn to dig deep and allow some serious criticism to help us grow. Criticism from THE KIDS!

When I first saw this, I thought, “oh-no-I-am-so-lame for giving my 13 year old too much tough love and often not helping her with her many requests because of timing and life demands.” “What does she think of me?”  I know 1/2 the time my kids think I am awesome and the other 1/2 of the time think I suck.  That’s Mommyhood.  But on a day to day basis I wonder if they know I am taking care of all the important stuff.  I totally believe that what’s most important is NOT what our kids think of us, but I do believe that what they think matters. Sometimes we need to tweak our style along the way to stay connected and get the most out of our children.

I really didn’t know what my kids thought of me until I asked them to grade my parenting skills.  This exercise also reminded me of some little things that really are BIG things to them and matter a great deal.

Their perception of us may surprise or hurt a little but it’s great to start conversations.

We can all improve as moms and our children can also do better. Approaching parenting with eyes wide open and an open heart can be an incredible learning experience.  BTW, if you are failing, there are ways to improve and if you’re getting A’s you’re a better mom than me and you should post your report card front and center for the many days when we will never fully feel appreciated as mothers.  Personally I’m shooting for honor roll with room to grow and room to screw up.

Let your kids grade you.

My kids loved it and I sure learned a lot.  I already instituted changes in my household based on my report card. I wanted to continue the conversation with my children and learn more so we had a mommy brainstorm with the ModernMom team – here’s our version with important topics we think are worthy of opening up for discussion.

Download it here – ModernMom Report Card.

Hope you make the grade.

xo,

Brooke