We all had the privilege of experiencing several different types of moms while we were growing up, some good, some bad.
But, how many different types of moms are there?
Some people can name 5 while others can go up to 15-20 and more.
They’re either defined by the one trait that sticks out or a group of similar ones that fall under a very specific category.
What type of mom you are isn’t usually something that’ll be clear to you either as the opinion can be rather subjective.
For instance, you might seem like the coolest, laid-back, free-range mom out there to your own child while your child’s best friend might think you’re super strict.
It’s the little things that define what kind of mom you’ll end up being as well as the type of parenting style that you employ.
But honestly, the only opinions that matter are the ones that come from your own family members, your kids especially, since they’re the ones most affected by your mothering style.
Ask them how they feel about the way you treat them and see if you can make some sort of compromise if things aren’t ideal.
Enter the conversation with a critical opinion of yourself, but don’t be too lenient with your kiddo either because you don’t want to be too easy to sway. It’s not always your own way that’s the wrong one!
I know that I picked up some of the negative traits my mother had while I was a child, as well as some positive ones – so I can’t blame her for everything!
My mothering style also changed when I had to swap from being a working mom to a stay-at-home mom.
So many different factors influence the kind of mom we end up being, but luckily none of it’s permanent and it can always change!
15 Types Of Moms
1. The helicopter moms
First up on the list is arguably one of the most famous types, the helicopter mom.
What does the term mean?
Well, it refers to parents who feel like they can’t leave their kid alone, even for a few minutes, to be with his friends or, Heaven-forbid, to make a decision on his own.
It refers to those parents who feel like they need to handle their child like a piece on a chessboard and plan out every single one of his moves, never giving him any agency over his own life.
While this does mean that the children of these moms are usually a lot safer, it also makes them less autonomous, less self-confident, and afraid to strike out on their own.
Children of helicopter moms tend to lack critical thinking and rely on their mother’s guidance over everything which can become a core part of their character that’ll be tough to root out if noticed too late.
Most moms who tend to exhibit this type of behavior aren’t consciously aware of how much harm this does to their kids.
They believe that what they’re doing is right for their kids, and it is, in a way.
But there’s a fine line between being a protective parent and an overprotective one.
While it might seem okay to them that they’re protecting their children from the dangers of the world, big and small, sometimes bad things need to happen so the child can gain some life experience.
Kids need to step out on their own so they can learn how to make good and bad choices.
Remember, your child won’t always have his parents around and will eventually need to become an independent person.
But that won’t happen if he’s not allowed to make any decisions that will affect the trajectory of his life path.
As someone who has been on both sides of the coin, let me tell you that it’s not pretty.
While I was the child in this relationship, I felt lost quite often, but always felt the need to make my mom happy, so I never spoke out.
Many kids often won’t for that same reason and might live out their whole life without telling their mamma that there’s a problem.
When I was a new mom and had my first child, I vowed I wouldn’t do the same thing.
However, as the fears for my child’s safety kept mounting with all the bad news we keep getting bombarded with in modern times, I slowly crept into that territory myself.
Luckily, my husband helped me notice the parallels between my mother in the past and myself.
I managed to swerve away from it before it was too late and before it turned into a codependent relationship.
RELATED: 4 Signs You’re A Codependent Parent And How To Fix It
2. Competitive moms
You’ll often find these types of moms as well.
They simply can’t stand being second best at anything and one of your mom friends is likely one of these.
And by competitive, I don’t mean healthy competition.
It’s the mammas that simply can’t stop themselves from wanting to one-up whatever anyone else says.
Whatever someone else’s child did, she’ll claim hers has done it better or faster or earlier than anyone else’s.
It might be tolerable for some time but if the mom is too pushy, it quickly gets a lot worse, especially when they start to involve the kids.
These competitive moms are also called pageant moms and are the best example of what happens when this kind of mothering is taken to the extreme.
Their kids are usually forced to take part in activities they don’t enjoy.
And the things they do enjoy are ruined by an overly competitive parent who only cares about winning rather than the passion behind the hobby.
You’ll find fathers doing the same thing, but more on that another time.
Just know that moms aren’t the only culprits here!
3. Wine moms
While not as bad as the previous two, the wine mom is stretched too thin with parenting hitting her full force.
Usually, she finds that a glass of wine with her other mom friends helps her calm down while the kids play.
Although a glass of wine won’t hurt, alcohol is always bound to do more harm than good if you don’t know how to moderate it.
If you’re someone who finds themselves in the spectrum of this type of mom, make sure you don’t go overboard.
One glass with your fellow moms every now and then won’t do you any harm, but if you start increasing your intake, you might be on a steep slope down to an alcohol problem.
This problem will negatively affect your kids and will set a poor example for them seeing as you’re likely one of their main role models.
4. The “ideal” moms
If this is your first time reading about this type, you might think this is the perfect kind of mom, but underneath, it hides a lot of potential problems.
While an ideal mom might appear perfect in public with everything in order and not a blemish on her skin (and people think it just comes naturally), most of the time that simply isn’t the case.
The most likely truth is that she’s also struggling but chooses not to show it.
She might be a self-imposed perfectionist who believes that she has to do all the work to make everything seem ideal because she’s afraid of other moms judging her.
She likely has to put in just as much effort as any other mom and might have a hard time dealing with it just like the rest of us.
She’s just used to always putting on a smile and not letting any of the hardships show.
This type of mom is usually influenced by overly competitive moms who teach them how anything less than perfect is unacceptable, causing deep-seated problems down the line.
On the other hand, some moms simply do get dealt a better hand and have kids that behave or are people who know how to manage everything straight from the get-go.
There’s no shame in that nor should you let that get to you. Every mom has her own unique challenges and her own unique ways of parenting after all.
5. Workout moms
Here’s another kind of mom you’ll want to be friends with!
This mom is all about health and fitness, always staying in shape, and is likely the first one to get rid of her postpartum weight because she has the perfect post-baby diet.
While I personally can’t see myself being as active as one of these mammas (even though I do try my best), these moms are an absolute delight to be around.
They always lift the energy of the room, and can even be a fitness inspiration for the rest of their mom friends.
That’s because it’s a lot easier to relate to someone who you know has gone through the same struggles as you but has persevered and come out on top.
Not to mention that they’re almost always ready to give a helping hand to anyone who’s trying to do the same.
I just hope you don’t encounter a mix of overly competitive and workout moms because that tends to have the opposite effect.
6. The exclusive breastfeeding mom
While this might sound like a good type to encounter, sometimes this isn’t the case.
Usually, moms who value breastfeeding over baby formula don’t make a big deal out of it and keep their preferences and opinions to themselves. But the ones I’m referring to here take it a bit too far.
These moms tend to actively shun moms who, for some reason or another, are using baby formula to feed their baby.
They will constantly bring up what they would’ve done to make breastfeeding possible.
They won’t try to listen to reason and will advocate the idea that breastfeeding is the only natural and healthy way to raise a child despite science proving otherwise.
Plus, some women experience a low supply of milk so they’re physically unable to breastfeed their little one.
7. The pessimistic moms
Every mom finds herself in this category at some point or another, especially if you’re a single mom who has to raise kids on her own or a new mom with little parenting experience.
They’re easy to spot in your circle of mom friends as they’re the ones who usually look worn out or are always complaining about the hardships of motherhood without wanting to do much to change the status quo.
Although they can be entertaining with their relatable ways of talking about parent problems, it can get draining at times.
Should you find one of your friends stuck in a rut like this, reach out to her and explain that many of these problems are just temporary and are challenges that we all signed up for.
8. The free-range moms
These moms are the complete opposite of helicopter parenting moms.
These moms let their kids roam and explore the world on their own (mostly), letting them teach themselves through experience rather than paving the road for them.
A positive aspect of this type of parenting is that they let their kids be free, although this doesn’t mean they’re exempt from their parenting responsibilities.
But, because people can be nosy, it’s very hard to live the life of a free-range mom.
Many people instantly try to scold them if they see a kid on the playground without excess supervision or walking home from school alone.
Sure there’s such a thing as being too free and the standard rule of “don’t let your kids walk alone after a certain time” is a rule that always applies but these kinds of moms often get too much criticism.
The criticism usually comes from helicopter parents who don’t understand that childhood is all about freedom and exploration.
They don’t understand that even kids need some boundaries between them and their parents to function normally.
9. The cool moms
I’m not referring to moms who wear leather jackets and ride around on motorcycles or some other silly stereotype.
I’m talking about chill moms who always know how to mediate a situation to a peaceful resolution.
Even though you might consider the free-range mamma to be the ideal kind of mom, I personally value this one a bit higher.
That’s because these chill moms have it sorted.
They’ve found a way to deal with the squabbles in their household without having to raise their voice at their kids.
They’ve also learned to accept if they make a mistake and don’t present themselves as an authority over their kids unless absolutely necessary.
They set themselves up as guides that help their kids whenever needed, only steering their moral compass and letting them handle the rest.
10. Social media moms
While many find the trend of posting pictures of their kids online fun and exciting, I personally dislike it.
Not so much for myself, but for my kids.
I might be a bit old-fashioned but I value their privacy.
I don’t want to be that mom who shares embarrassing child photos online for everyone to see that my kids might be embarrassed of when they grow up.
If I want to save these pictures, I do it in a separate folder and only allow family members to see them, if anyone.
Social media moms don’t quite share that sentiment and will use every waking moment to talk to their friends about their fantastic time with their kids and other moms on their playdates.
But in reality, they end up spending more time looking at their phone than playing with their kids.
It’s the plague of modern society.
We do have to adapt with the times, but there has to be a certain balance otherwise we risk alienating our kiddos by not giving them enough attention.
Use every chance you can to show them how much they mean to you and don’t value the phone screen over their enjoyment.
11. Working moms
The working mom is the kind of mom I wish I could have been but admittedly, I failed spectacularly at it!
These are the moms that have managed to balance parenthood with their careers and are able to devote enough time for both to progress and not feel like a chore.
They like to get busy, be it a hobby, household chores, taking care of kids or working a full time job.
They share that trait with fitness/workout moms except they present it through a different medium.
They do have their extremes though (much like the exclusive breastfeeding types) where they think any stay-at-home mom is just not trying hard enough to have a career.
Plus, not all moms share the same drive as they might.
We shouldn’t berate others for that and should find ways to support one another and all our different mothering styles instead.
12. The fake mom friends
The so-called “frenemommies” are the worst to have around in a social circle.
They’re the ones who act all friendly in public, but will talk behind someone’s back the moment an opportunity presents itself.
Whether it’s the way the other person dresses, her parenting methods, or even the other mom’s kids, this kind of mom has no limits when it comes to gossip.
The worst part is that there’s no point in arguing with her as she’s more than likely to just continue along her merry way.
Unfortunately, these moms usually offer little in terms of actual friendship.
If you’re stuck with one, the best thing you can do is to avoid her whenever you can and try to not pay attention to what she’s saying.
Also, try not turn into one yourself, be supportive of your fellow moms.
13. Hot mess moms
These moms are quite similar to the pessimistic moms.
They’re a step up from this kind of mamma because they’re actively trying to make things better though they don’t always manage to get it right the first time.
However, they’re very fun to have around in your circle of mom friends as they often show everyone what parenthood is really like.
Motherhood might not be overly difficult for some, but it sure has its challenges.
The way the hot mess mom shows up to your hang-outs is how any new parent looks after a month of dealing with a newborn.
That said, they do have one downside and that’s the fact that you won’t be able to do any proper scheduling if you’re inviting her.
She’s very likely to always be late when another unexpected thing pops up at home.
14. Exhausted moms
These moms might ring close to the pessimists, but they usually don’t complain, unless it’s about always being out of energy.
While every mom tends to go through this phase postpartum, especially if she’s a new parent, chances are this kind of mom still hasn’t managed to adjust to this new tempo of life very well.
Not to mention that some moms tend to have some lingering complications after childbirth.
Many of these problems reduce her pool of available energy and she simply can’t manage on her own.
If you’re one of these moms, don’t be afraid to ask for a bit of extra help from either your family or your friends from time to time.
Similarly, if you have a mamma in your friend circle that’s showing these signs, don’t be afraid to lend her a helping hand.
I’m sure she’d do the same if you were in her shoes.
15. Crunchy granola moms
Lastly, we have the health nuts, but not in a good way.
These moms tend to take living healthy to the extreme.
They normally stay away from any and all processed foods and are always the first ones to jump on the newest superfood trend.
These are the types of moms who end up breastfeeding their child for a long period of time and forcing different kinds of diets on them without giving them much of a choice.
Some of the most extreme cases would have their kids in a protective bubble for all their life as they’re scared of anything that’s synonymous to modern medicine or processed foods.
While I’m all for healthy living and like to eat greens more often than not, I’m also grateful for the advances in medicine and thank them for keeping us safe from diseases that are now long gone.
I will also never force my kids to follow the same diets that I do because kids deserve to make their own choices.
Not to mention, they deserve a treat every now and again and fruit just doesn’t cut it every time!
I hope you understand that while your kids are your own, they are also their own unique person and they shouldn’t be forced to conform to their parents’ ways of life because these mammas often fail to realize that.
The Bottom Line
As you can see, there are many types of moms you might relate to and they all stem from different parenting styles and the ways they were raised.
You probably won’t fall into just one category, but several!
And this is likely to change during the course of your journey through motherhood.
There are certainly some other types that I failed to mention, but I’m certain that this list covers a sizable portion of mommy types.
The most important thing to remember is to support your fellow moms and to respect your kids’ choices, as well as give them a bit of freedom to carve their own path.
I believe that those are the traits of the perfect type of mom!
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