How to Tell if You Are REALLY a Bad Mum

3. You leave the children in the car when you get fuel

This one depends on a lot of things.  After the Daniel Morcombe abduction (which only happened an hour from here), I am paranoid and don’t leave my kids in the car – HOWEVER – it is a pain in the butt to have to unload kids and dogs etc to go in and pay for your fuel.  So, there are alternatives.  Go to a self-serve fuel station where you are literally only a few metres from the car, or find a small fuel retailer that will put the fuel in for you (there are still some around!).  I think this also depends on the ages of your children.  Babies, take with you – no matter what.  If you children are 9 or 10 and you will only be a few metres away, you make that decision.

What the law says:  Just to make things difficult for us, the law is different in every state of Australia.  And there is no specific law in Australia that says at what age you CAN or CAN’T leave your child in a vehicle, or home alone.  Find more information here.

What would ACTUALLY make you a bad Mum?

Going to the casino and leaving your children in the car. Which actually happens a lot more than is comfortable to know.

Baby left in Crown Casino Carpark

4. Your Kids Wear Second-Hand Clothing

What the actual fuck!!!!  My kids wear second-hand uniforms and also I’ll take what I can get second-hand other clothing wise.  Why?  Clothing is expensive and kids don’t really give a flying fuck about what they wear (well mine don’t!).  Same goes with ironed clothing – who has time for that??  No way.  If your kids are dressed in clothes that fit them (or nearly fit them) and they aren’t too much on the stinky side, you are doing fine! I’ve even heard of a busy Mum that dresses her kids in their uniforms the night before – meh!  Good on her.  Her kids are neat, tidy, well dressed and fed.  Good Mummy.

What would ACTUALLY make you a bad Mum?

Never changing your children or dressing them in soiled clothing.  A 22 year old Brisbane woman pleaded guilty to four charges of negligence as her child had not only been left alone at home whilst she went out partying, but he was screaming and naked.  She had lied to Police saying that the child had been supervised. Source

What else makes you a bad mum – read on next page!