Motherhood Feedback

How am I doing? That’s what I want to ask my 6-year old. At my “other” job, I send out surveys to evaluate the programs I deliver. It’s instant feedback to let me know if I’m meeting my internal customers’ needs. So I got to thinking, “Wouldn’t it be nice to get some formal feedback on my parenting from my customer base?” I, like many other moms out there, am often second-guessing my choices and actions.

Photo: K Stevenson

Here’s what I want to know:

• On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being terrible and 5 being awesome, how would you rate your experience as my daughter so far?
• Of the birthdays that you can remember, which would you say was your favorite?
• Do you feel loved and cared for even when you don’t get your way?
  • Always
  • Sometimes
  • Never
  • I am unfamiliar with the phrase “don’t get my way”
• Do you have any memory of the time I dropped you as an infant on Christmas Eve? If no, then forget I asked this question.
• Please state your agreement or disagreement with the following statement: “Because I said so” is a valid reason for doing what your mom tells you to do.
  • Agree
  • Somewhat agree
  • Yeah right.
• When I grow up, I want to be a:
  • Scientist/Rock star
  • Teacher like Daddy
  • Stripper
• True or False: Chuck E. Cheese is the devil.
• True or False:  Broccoli is the world’s most delicious, perfect food.

There. That will give me a good idea of how I’m doing as a parent, right?

In reality, there is no way to really know if you’re doing it “right.” The best parenting tools that I have available to me are my eyes, ears and heart. If I trust what I see and hear and feel, then I can’t go wrong, at least not in the long run.

I can worry about making the right choices, going all the way back to when she was an infant up until the moment I close my eyes each night. But at the end of the day, she tells me “I love you Mommy” and nothing else I worry about matters.