What Style of Mom are You?

I was going through a stack of papers last night and ran across an article entitled What Style of Mom are You? that I had torn out of the May 2006 issue of Babytalk magazine. It contains excerpts from the book MotherStyles: Using Personality Types to Learn to Parent From Your Strengths by Janet Penley with Diane Eble.

I was encouraged by the article because it pointed out that all moms are not the same. We all have our own personalities and our own strengths and weaknesses. I may not do everything exactly the same way my best friend or my neighbor down the street does things, but that doesn't mean I love my kids any less. I like the idea that instead of competing with other moms or feeling guilty because I seem in my own mind to never measure up, I can use my strengths (and the gifts God has given me) to be the best mom I can be.

The styles of mothering are based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality types. (If you don't know your type, the MotherStyles website has a short quiz to help you guess at your type.) I am probably an ISTJ (or maybe an INTJ ... I got both results on the MBTI at different times in college), and a couple of things I learned about ISTJ moms totally fit me. First, it said "I have a serious love affair with to-do lists." That is so funny because I was going to blog about my to-do lists sometime in the near future. The "stay-sane" tip for ISTJ moms like me is to give myself some uninterrupted quiet time each day. No wonder I crave quiet time so much!

I probably will spend a few minutes over the next few days reading the MotherStyles blog, and maybe I'll pick up the book at the library sometime soon.