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Strollerderby
Are You An A+ Parent?
Cafemom has a fascinating new survey out asking moms to rate how they’re doing as parents, partners and people.
On a hundred point scale, you answer questions about your life and assess how you’re doing. Then at the end it gives you a letter grade! Oh good. I missed those.
I actually feel plenty judged about my parenting without taking a quiz at the end of the day. But like thousands of other moms, I can’t resist clicking the little buttons. How does my parenting compare to other moms?
Pretty good. Like Lisa over at Motherlode, I scored an 89. That’s a B+, which is above the C+ average of the group taken as a whole. Um…great?
I don’t think I’ve seen a letter grade since high school. While I love the idea of taking a moment to assess where you are and where you’re going, I’m not sure grades and quizzes are the best approach to that.
On the other hand, this is a cool, fun tool for getting a snapshot of what a lot of other women like me think. And let’s be clear, the denizens of CafeMom are not a broad cross-section of society, but they’re a fair snapshot of my friends and moms like us.
Only 9 percent of the moms rated their lives an A. I wonder how many of us really can have it all. Lisa and I both weighed in as happy about our careers, connections and and kids, but lacking control over the details.
I lost points for saying my house was messier than I’d like, my kids are sometime unruly and my bank account isn’t where I’d like it to be. All those things are true, but they’re byproducts of having a life that prizes fun, creativity and love over a clean house. Would I really give that up?
The original survey was 100 questions. You can take a shorter version here. Have fun!
Photo: Steve DePolo
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2 Comments
[...] between–but I am always, always, always giving myself a mental grade. I don’t even need Sierra’s link to the CafeMom grading system. I’ve got a running tally in my head at all times, and to be able to set it aside would feel [...]
Good Mom or Bad Mom? Try Both. | Strollerderby commented on Jun 24 10 at 9:01 amAndrea commented on Jun 21 10 at 2:20 pmWow! I got a hundred! I think I will sit back and let every little thing that’s bothering me slide, because I apparently have no real problems at all. My kids are happy and healthy, I adore my husband, we have enough money to do the things we want to do, we have lots of time together and I’m in the best physical shape of my life. So I’m thinking the bucket of bionicles that got kicked over just before nap time is not really that big a deal. But bloody H, it hurts to step on those things!
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