Reuters ran a great article entitled "If your mom’s your best friend, who’s your mother?".
In the article, five types of mothers are mentioned (perfectionist, unpredictable, me first, complete and best-friend). The group that clinical psychologist and author Stephan Poulter finds that is on the rise is "best-friend mothers" who are mothers who want to be best friends with their children.
The article points out that these types of moms can mess up boundaries and leave their kids with a lack of guidance. (Of course, Lindsay Lohan’s mom is used as an example.)
Personally, I’m not a big fan of labels. I would like to think of myself as a "complete" mom, but then I have to laugh. Complete makes me think of being finished / having arrived. I do my best (like most moms that I know) but I think that motherhood is one area of life that you never "arrive". That’s what makes parenting such an adventure to me …as soon as I have a "system" down, something changes and we’re back at the drawing board!
I must agree though that I see a lot of moms who would rather be their kid’s friend more than anything else. I do think that is dangerous. Kids need (and want!) boundaries, discipline and direction. I hate when I see young kids running their homes/calling the shots. I’m not trying to be judgmental, but I really do think that parents who allow their kids to do so (under the guise of "friendship") are setting themselves up for some serious head and heartaches when their kids grow up.
Ultimately, I don’t think that it’s an either/or (parent/friend) decision. I think that if we do our best at being a good parent, then the majority of time we will also be our child’s friend (and if not, oh well! Hopefully, they’ll have many other friends in life.).
