OnePoland

Happy mum equals happy family. Being a good mum is not easy but here's the rules I've been following:

1.    Emanate or Compensate for your childhood

If you’ve not been fortunate to have a good mum yourself, how can you ensure that you’ll be one?  

Simply do  the opposite to what she did – love your children unconditionally and make sure they know they are loved, do not compare them against other children or each other – and tell them they’re beautiful and doing great as often as you can. Do all the things you always wanted to do but your mum never did with you. Have days out (best things in life are free), go swimming with them, take them out for ice cream in the park. Eat your evening meals together. Set up family games night – families who play together stay together. They’ll grow up to be secure, confident, and well adjusted.

Or if you’ve had the best mum in the word – your job is easy now – just follow her example!

2.    Be organised

Whether it’s shopping trips, or storing those extra clothes / toys / school stuff that you will gather over the years, be organised. Organise your life before it gets out of hands - see my tips here…

3.    House Rules

It really helps to have clear house rules. Have them printed and put on the wall for everybody to see. It’s easy to refer to them when a child misbehaves. Just like countries have laws and citizens must obey them, your house needs rules for your “house residents” to obey too. It also helps if you get your children involved in setting up the rules – sit down and write them together. They will them be more likely to remember and follow them. The rules will change over the life span of your family as the children grow older. Here’s our current house rules – as you can see they’re not all punishments and the fun is allowed too!

1.     Good manners at all times & be nice to each other.

2.     No screaming, No hitting, No whingeing, No crying.

3.     Do your chores, keep our home tidy & organised.

4.     Read before bedtime on school days, no TV.

5.     TV or Xbox on school day only after chores are done.

6.     Save money, do NOT waste food or electricity!

7.     Wear slippers at all times when awake.

8.     Be quiet when mummy & daddy are asleep.

9.     Have fun on the weekends – days out & bike rides!

10.   Hugs and Kisses for Everybody before Bedtime