Perfectionist Mother

Mothers are essential for life to continue to be born. Carrying a fetus and giving birth are gifts that only women can experience. Some mothers choose to stay home with their children and some mothers work outside the home while raising children. The way a mother is raised greatly impacts the type of mother she becomes. The world is generally made up of five types of mothers: the perfectionist mother, the unpredictable mother, the selfish mother, the "best friend" mother, and the well-rounded mother (Poulter). While there is no perfect mother, the well-rounded mother produces the healthiest children. The perfectionist mother is someone completely focused on having a family that appears perfect. Psychologist and author Stephen Poulter says that this mother highly regards how others view her life and family. Author of the book The Mom Factor, Dr. Henry Cloud, says she is someone who is “uncomfortable with imperfections” (19). Often, these mothers raise children who resent her because they grow up trying to please her and never living up to her expectations (16). The disheartening result of this type of mother is that her children grow up to be adults who “have difficulty handling failure, have troublesome emotions, have unrealistic ideals …show more content…
Stephen Poulter says that “30-40 percent of today’s mothers fall into this category.” His reason for the large percentage is credited to baby boomer mothers being predominately perfectionist mothers. Best friend mothers have a hard time creating rules and healthy boundaries for their children because of the rigid and strict mothers they were raised by (Poulter). These mothers try hard to be liked by their children and by the friends of their children. Some of these mothers are often seen partying with their teenage children (Poulter). The problem with this type of mother is that she creates children that struggle with insecurity and self-doubt