A Good Mom

I've been giving it a lot of thought lately about what it takes to be a good mom. I hear people always arguing saying what a "bad" mom someone is, and I've heard people complimenting others saying they are a "good" mom. So are there real guidelines to being a "good" mom? Are you a "good" mom because you choose to stay at home with them, or because you go to work and provide for them? Is it because you put them to bed at a decent time, or because you let them stay up with you to watch that show they've been dying to see? Is it because you buy all the best organic foods and only give them the best, or because you let them pick out the cereal with the fun cartoons on the cover? Is there are real guideline? Or is being a good mom just a matter of opinion? Do you make them eat their veggies and 3 square meals a day, or do you make their faces light up once in a while and take them to McDonald's? Is it about safety and health, or fun and love? Or does it have to be a balance of all of it? Is it about spoiling them with lots of toys and activities? Or is it about teaching them the value of money and making them earn their toys? It's funny isn't it? Just because you raise your kids a certain way, and people call you a good mom, someone completely opposite of you could be raising their kids different and they are considered a good mom as well. Personally I think I'm a good mom, but I honestly couldn't tell you why. I just know that I love my kids and I do what I think is best for them and try to make sure they have a safe and happy childhood. So being a "good" mom is important, but the way we all be "good" at it is different, and that's fine. Our kids love us the same no matter what.