5. You Yell at your Children

OMG if I had a dollar for every time I yelled at my kids I would be rich. I am a self-admitted yeller! The thing is – the frustrating thing is – I start out asking them to do something, nicely – and in a very normal voice. And then when they ignore me (which they always do), I get progressively louder, and louder, and LOUDER until I lose my shit!!!!! This, my friends, is perfectly sane and normal behaviour for a Mum.

What would ACTUALLY make you a bad Mum?

You know those parents that use the C word in public? Really really loudly – yeah, don’t do that!

6. You Don’t Discourage Bad Behaviour

Manners count. They do. But kids, like us, get annoyed at stuff, and we really should cut them some slack occasionally. My son hated his teacher last year… HATED HER. And there was little old me telling him that he had to always be respectful of his elders and be polite… until I actually HEARD the way the teacher spoke to him. It is give and take. And kids do learn by example.

What would ACTUALLY make you a bad Mum?

If your kids did that ALL THE TIME. There is a time and place to let your kids get away with bad manners or behaviour.

7. You spoil your child rotten

Personally, I don’t see the point in all in having kids if you can’t spoil them often. Not all the time, but often. And most parents do – we want our kids to be happy. We also don’t want them to be tossers and sometimes due to behaviour, money or both, we have to say a good ol’ fashioned NO to them! My child was jealous when his friend got a motorbike. He is entitled to be jealous, but he isn’t entitled to be an ass about it. The child that received the motorbike was so humble that his parents saved up to buy it for him – and good on them! They worked hard, and their child was so appreciative. Who is in the wrong – my child! But he will learn.

What would ACTUALLY make you a bad Mum?

If your child started saying ‘I want an Oompa Loompa Daddy, and I want it NOW!!’.