Mother’s Day 2010 Launches the “Decade of the Intentional Mom”

Mother’s Day 2010 marks the start of the Decade of the Intentional Mom, encouraging moms everywhere to follow the 7 principles of intentional motherhood which provide the potential to raise your children with no regrets. Let’s think beyond the breakfast-in-bed celebration and embrace a strategic and long-term focus on parenting goals.

Criteria for the Intentional Mom of the Year

Principle 1 – Be Intentional About Understanding Your Purpose
This principle is about the mother.  Intentional Moms! believes the mom’s best example is the way she lives, not simply what she says.  Integrity will open doors for respect, trust, and communication.  Because she wants her children to have strong self-confidence, she will demonstrate what that looks like in a life applicable manner.  Her confidence creates an atmosphere of love and value for her children.

Principle 2 – Be a Student of Your Child
An intentional mom will know the nuances of her children so well that she will be able to communicate with confidence and clarity who they are.  Intentional moms do not fight the difficulties or differences. Instead, they take the knowledge, information, and observations they have and feed it back to them so their children can formulate their definition of themselves.  She loves them simply for who they are.

Principle 3 – Be Intentional About Being a Vision Keeper
An intentional mom does not let the actions, behaviors and mistakes her children make define her definition of who they are or change her belief in where they are headed.  She knows it is her job to be at her best when her kids are at their worst. She is respectful of the adolescent’s trials and stages of development, and will be hopeful in the midst of their mistakes and challenges.

Principle 4 – Be Intentional About Developing Emotional Intelligence
This principle believes intentional moms are ones who think their way through their motherhood, not feel their way. The intentional mom understands the importance of letting her children learn from their choices, be they benefits or consequences.  She realizes the importance of teaching them awareness of their emotions and how they impact others.  She also has an awareness that the development of character, judgment, and integrity will be the result of her children being taught values and having opportunities to learn significant life lessons.

Principle 5 – Be Intentional About Maintaining Your Position
An intentional mom recognizes that it isn’t her job to make her children happy, but to maintain her role as a mom. By maintaining her position as a mom, she will have her children’s respect, which is far more lasting than their happiness.  She will make the hard calls, tough decisions, and trust her instincts to be the mom her children need, not necessarily want.  She is steadfast, loving, and firm while understanding the importance of discipline and boundaries.

Principle 6 – Be Intentional About Being Intentional
An intentional mom understands the difference between control and intentionality.  She understands control will hurt the relationship and is really about the mom’s issues and insecurities.  She views obstacles as opportunities and understands the importance of living with faith instead of fear.  The Intentional Mom is not a perfect mom, but one who recognizes the significance of maintaining a healthy relationship with the village of people who will come into her children’s lives.

Principle 7 – Be Intentional About Being God Dependent
This principle recognizes we are in over our heads the minute our child is placed in our arms.  It is the understanding we need something bigger than ourselves to tackle the most complicated job in the world. It is also an awareness that we want to give our children someone to believe in that will be with them long after we are gone.  God-dependent mothers will have hope, be regret free, trust God, and embrace the journey as a gift and a privilege.