Probably better off without a role model...

Kristen Chase: I don't have one. I figure everyone's got their own way of doing things and what I've learned is that what works for someone may not work for another. I have way too hard of a time trying to figure out my own way. But if I had to pick - I'm going with Britney Spears. She makes me feel really good about myself as a mother. And I like that.

Chris: Joan Crawford. No wire hangers!!!
I joke. But in all honesty I think most of the role models I have are in the what-not-to-do category.

Karen Rani: Joan Crawford. We don't have one single wire hanger in this house.

Moms I respect for their challenges...

Marla Good: Any mother who has it harder than I do at any point in time. Whether it is one whose kid is having a tantrum while mine is being sweet, one whose child is in danger while mine is safe, or one whose child needs her third liver transplant when mine is merely snotty – at any point in time, another mother is rising to an occasion I may never have to, with who knows what resources; and whether she succeeds or fails, she is still at a place where I am not and I must remember these women both when I am feeling fortunate and when I am not.

Cartoon Moms rock my world...

Buffi: Mother Theresa. No, um, okay, Rosanne. No. Honestly? I love to watch Little Bear and see how Mother Bear deals with her "child." She is so patient, and encouraging and loving yet firm and consistent. Little Bear doesn't get away with anything. I know that sounds crazy. But I have a bracelet that says "WWMBD?" (as an aside, it sure as heck isn't Caillou's mom! Someone needs to take that whiny brat and...)

Jenijen: Caroline Ingalls and Mother Bear tie for that one.

Zoot: This one is easy: Marge Simpson. That woman stays married (and sincerely loves) the world's most useless husband while trying to hold their family together against what most women would consider insurmountable odds. Granted, her oldest son needs some discipline, but you can never doubt that her children and her family are her top priority.

Let's look to the celebs...

kalisah: Rose Kennedy. I plan to eventually start my own aristocratic family dynasty.

Mrs. Mogul: *Angelina Jolie. Sure she's a homewrecker (just kidding), but to adopt two kids, be pregnant, travel as a U.N. ambassador, and be a Hollywood actress is amazing!!

Kelsey: I know this sounds silly, but the first mothering role model that comes to mind - after my own very cool mom - would be Princess Diana. I was never a Royal Follower or anything, but I admired the way she was so demonstrative of her love and affection for her sons. She made sure her boys knew how much she loved them. I try to make certain my kids know how dearly I love them as well, no matter what they may say or do.

Susie Sunshine: I like what I've seen of how Rosie O'Donnell handles her kids. She's funny but firm and fair. Jackie Kennedy did a great job under amazingly usual circumstances too.

Sheryl: Mr. Rogers.

Now accepting applications...

Mir: I'm supposed to have a role model? Crap.

Martha: I wish I had one. I'm totally winging it.

Mom Chronicles I wish I had one! That might help!!!!

Sarcastic Journalist: Anybody BUT Angelina Jolie. Or Anna Nicole Smith. Okay. Nobody. I haven't found one yet

The good and the bad are wickedly wonderful...

Amalah: My sister. My mom. And Britney Spears' nanny.

Stacy Quarty: A cross between Mummy Dearest and Mary Poppins.

I dream of the perfect mom model...

Mary Beth: I have an image in my head of those coffee-klatch moms, leaning over fences, so casual and carefree. [They have really cute vintage skirts, too, in my head, and little kerchiefs, but that's neither here nor there.] My role model is someone who can shake the drama and competition and low-grade terror and just enjoy her kids. That's what I aim for.

Holy Role Models...

Alana: The Virgin Mary.

EmmaSometimes: This one struck me by surprise, because I realized I don't have one. I just know what character traits I didn't want to carry on to my children due to my childhood observations. I would say, if anyone, it would be Hannah in the Bible.

Don't mess with this role model...

Kenya: Mother nature. She gives us the best she's got; its up to us to do right by it."

My Friends are fabu!...

Brandi (ohhmama): I take a lot of advice from my Mom, but I truly respect the advice of my good friends Mandi & Emily. Both women are raising their children wonderfully and I hope mine turn out as good as theirs are.

Margalit: Certainly not my mother. I tend to ask myself during times when I don't know which way to go, "What would Jean do?" Jean is a friend of ours, my kids pseudo grandmother, and an outstanding parent and grandparent. She is a pillar of calm, very empathic, very steady, and she sees globally. When I'm overwhelmed and need advice, I always go to Jean because I know she understands the various personalities in our family, and as an concerned outsider, she is able to zero in on solving problems that I see as insurmountable. She does this with humor, love, and am amazing capacity for morals and ethics. What makes me turn to Jean is watching her own children and grandchildren relate to each other. They are the closest family I've ever seen, and they seem to rarely have any conflict within them. This is something I very much respect and admire, and thus I try to see things as Jean would. She's a wonderful model for me to follow.

Jazzy: I have a dear friend that I really look up to in terms of how she parents her children. We are the same age, but she has a 5 year old and a two year old and her and her husband are really good parents. You can find her at http://thesuburbanlife4.blogspot.com/. She doesn't post very often, but she is very busy with two kids, a part time job and going back to school. She is truly amazing.

Danelle O'Shea: Probably my friend Michele. While her kids didn't turn out 100% fantastic either (like mine) she is the best mom I know. She is kind, consistent and very loving.

Jane (Mamacita): Mom. And so many others. Some I will never meet in real life, but they have inspired me nevertheless. Parents of students. Friends. Some of the examples that inspired me most were the bad examples, yikes, I did NOT want to be anything like some people I've met. Others are absolute inspirations. Most of the mothers I've 'met' online are really good ones, and I wish I could have known them when my kids were little and I needed someone to tell me I was doing something right. Just knowing we are not alone can make a huge difference in so many ways: attitude, confidence, etc. And friends, we are not alone.

Jerri Ann Reason: This is a corny answer but it is the out right total truth. My own mother and I don't gel, we rarely see eye to eye in parenting issues, hell, any issues. So, as I search for someone to model myself after, I think of a couple of friends that I have. One of those is an Internet buddy I met 6 years ago. Her name is Rhonda and I've lost touch with her in the last year or so but when I visited her, I knew that all the advice she had given me was practiced not just preached. The other person is also an Internet buddy. I've never met her in person but have been buddies with her for almost 5 years and feel like I know her quite well. She is full of energy and always doing things to make her kids happy and encouraging their talents. Her name is Nino and many people will recognize her from Cease, Cows Life is Short at www.ninotchka.squarespace.com I have one other influence and that is actually a family of women. The youngest was in the ninth grade when she and her mother became my after-school caregiver. Later, her 2 sisters were introduced into the equation. The four of them are powerful Christian women who have always treated me like their own child. If something happens to me, this is the family I would like to leave my children with, no doubt about it.

My Mom's da Bomb...

Debutaunt: My mom. She so rocks it. And nothing flusters her. Even when I got cancer.

Stacy: My own mom, of course. She did a fantastic job raising myself and my siblings.

Hula Doula: My own mother. She was brilliant. I just didn't know it then.

Amanda: My own mother. As much as we might not get along now that I’m an adult, my childhood was a breeze thanks to her and I credit her with my most valuable character trait – my self-confidence.

Sleeping Mommy: My mother.

Anne: My mother.

Kris: My own Mom. She always made me feel safe, loved and capable.

cmhl: My own mother. Her life was and is completely a polar opposite of my own, but she was always the consummate mother. She remains my touchstone, and it is hard to put into words how much I love her.

Captain Mom: My mother is the single, greatest, most giving, most diligent, won't give up, hung on to me when she might should have let go, intuitive, beautiful, selfless, Godly, hard-working, keep smiling, yes-you-can, can't-never-could, remember-your-people, if-you-can't-say-anything-nice-don't-say-anything-at-all, I'm-so-proud-of-you woman and Mother I have ever known. I pray to get a fraction of her seemingly effortless skill. Thank you, Mommy.

Susan: My mother, although in saying that I also have to say this: my mom was a great mother because my dad was such a great father, and vice versa. They were both raised by single mothers and I think it made them extra conscious of the importance of working together to parent us. They taught me that being a good parent is not a function of gender but of love and dedication and thoughtfulness.

Elaine: My mom kicks some serious ass in that department. She's smart, funny, creative, sensitive, trusts me to make informed decisions and loves my girls. We may have bickered when I was a teen, but I never, not once, thought I had a bad childhood. I can only hope that I am as good a mother as she has been to me."

Goober Queen: Well, my mom, of course! How she kept her cool with all of us and without much help is beyond me. I think I've honestly only seen her go ballistic twice in my entire life. (Never on me, of course. I'm her angel. ::blinking innocently::)

Kira: My own mom and an amalgam of all the mothers who have impressed me throughout the years.

Mary of Owlhaven: My own mother. I am very blessed to have an unflappably cheerful, endlessly hard-working mother. Her motto is, "Take one day at a time. You can do this!"

Nancy: I have two. My own mother, of course. She was able to balance so much -- motherhood, managing the house, working, graduate school -- with hardly a complaint. And she was always loving and accessible to my brother and me. My younger aunt is a role model in how she and her husband have built an accepting and open household for their teenage children. Her kids are just good people -- friendly, respectful, smart -- in large part due to my aunt, who has done a great job instilling self-confidence in her two boys and one girl.

Laura: My Mom, for the most part. She was always there for me, always open and honest, answering any questions (however raunchy) I threw at her. I want to have that same openness with my daughter. However, I will NOT be sharing details of my sex life like my mother did (ewwww), so maybe not the EXACT same openness.

Jaime: My mom. My parents divorced when I was 7 and she raised me as a single parent. She continually instilled in me the belief that ""I could do anything."" She has always been my biggest cheerleader.

Danigirl: My mother. She is strong without being overpowering, smart and fiercely loyal. No matter what kind of trouble we were facing, we knew we could come to her. Even when we made choices that were, in her opinion, the wrong ones, she still supported us. I only hope I can do as good a job raising my boys as she did mothering my brother and I.

Steph: In so many ways my mom. She was a really fun mom when I was younger. My friend Tam is so wise in so many ways. She can really say the right thing to her kids right when they need to hear it!!!

Baseballmom: My mothering role model is...da da da dum...my mom. She always made sure that we had a good time, and didn't worry about things. She was loving and caring, and a little bit crazy too. In a good way! She remains that way as "Nanny" to my kids, and they love her to pieces, as do I.

Margaret: My own mother, of course.

Sweatpantsmom: Of course, I’m going to say my own mother, and not just because it’s Mother’s Day. (Hear that mom? Don’t touch that will.) The older I get, the more I see why she made the choices she made in raising her five children, and the more I appreciate the sacrifices she put forth. She’s 85 now and still trying to tell me what to do, but I understand now that a mother never stops mothering her children, at least if we’re lucky. If you’ll excuse me, that’s her on the phone and she wants me to change into my pajamas now.

Melissa: I feel my mother role model is my own mother. She's awesome. When almost 40, she met me and wanted to adopt me right away. And did so. And I gave her a run for her money, yet she's always there. I've been mean, nasty and did stupid things, and she's always picked me up out of the gutter when I landed there. She's raising my nine year old son because I couldn't at the time. She stepped up to the plate when I couldn't even stand. For that, I will always be indebted to her. I totally wish I had her patience and meekness, but I was made out of a different cake batter than she was.

Michele Yoakum: My mother and other good mothers who have good ethics and morals that embody love, compassion and a high desire to be the best mother they can be.

I want to make a Frankenmother...

Jen3: Anyone who turns out good kids.

Jen at MUBAR: My own mother. And Anne Lamott.

Bella: A mix between my mother, my father, and my oldest friend's mother.

Her Bad Mother: Role models: my own mother, my sister, my best friend, and the many, many amazing mothers that I have met in this wonderful community of blogger-mamas.

Chris: Well, I like to borrow a bit from all the mothers I know in real life and online. I'd like to have Meagan's ability to take things in stride and wade through the hype to find solutions that work for her family. I'd like to have Ann's knowledge and open friendliness towards other mothers. I'd like to have Jen's knack for putting the challenges of mothering in sociological perspective. I'd like to have Andrea's dedication to changing the world and her ability to boil information about mothering down to its essentials. So if I could make a frankenmother out of those Moms, and throw in a little of my own Mom's matter-of-factness, my Mother-in-Law's sense of fun, a little of my friend Danielle's endurance, and some of my friend Krista's zen-like acceptance of what comes, I'd have the perfect role model.

Mamaloo: I have a lot of mothering role models. My own mother was my role model for the early days of motherhood: I wanted to give birth naturally and nurse my son as I had watched her do for my youngest sister. I pattern my closeness with my son on the closeness I had with my Grandmother, who I always called my best friend through childhood, youth and adulthood. I try to bake, cook, sew and knit like her, as well, to provide my family with beautiful goods and helathy food. Then there are the many mothers all around the world who let me into their lives through their blogs and provide me with inspiration on a daily level.

Jaime: I don't have one role model--I see qualities in lots of mothers that I want to emulate. I have picked up little ideas, rules, concepts, and attitudes from most of the women I have been close to in my life, and hopefully they are coming together and making me a better mother. I love my own mom's generosity and sense of fun, my grandma's gentleness and manners, and my mother-in-law's fantastic work ethic and ability to apologize to her kids when she was wrong--always humble and trying to be better.

Carolina Fernandez: Hmmm. Double hmmm. Not my own mom, although she was a good mother. A really good mother. I look up to my older girlfriends who are just one or two years ahead of me on the curve. I also look up to a friend who's about ten years older than I am because her kids turned out so beautifully. Sometimes I think I take a quality from one person and another from another...like I have a friend who is quiet and gentle and I look up to her for that; another is patient and kind and I look up to her for that. Maybe I have a kaleidoscope of role models. This is a tough job for one person to do well on all counts.

Erin-erin-bo-berin: I can tell you that I've taken something from every mother I have in my life. Each woman has taught me something positive, as well as something negative. I find it easy to take a parenting complement, simply because the person speaking doesn't know what happened five minutes ago, nor will they know about what happens five minutes from now. I say the same thing every time: "I learned all the techniques I use from another mom." Quite literally, I DID!

Mega Mom: It is a combination of Moms who have kids older than mine. When I see wonderful, well-behaved, well-rounded kids I look at the parents. They usually become my role models :)

Ms. Mamita Mala: I have so many um Lucy Parsons, Lolita Lebron, my mom, my abuelitas, my own damn self!!

Shelley: My mothering role models are the women who've mothered me - my mother, my aunt, my grandmothers, my friends. Bits and pieces of a hundred women who, at one time or another, seemed to know exactly what to do or say and when to say and do it.

Stepmother wonderful...

Shawn Lea: My stepmother - who raised me and loved me as her own. She taught me that the family we make is just as important (if not more so) than the family we are born into. And that a mother's love doesn't always have to come from a mother.

Cissa Fireheart: My step-mother, Donna. She's a great Mom. She was a working mother, but always took the time to do things with me and my siblings, and always made sure we had activities to keep us occupied. She was also encouraging, loving, and supportive. She went to PTO, took us to the movies, and talked to us about things, but didn't smother us either. I wanna be just like her when I grow up! ;)

All in the family...

Liz: My husband.

DrumsNWhistles: My wonderful mom and grandma, both strong, independent overcomers who taught me the value of education, hard work and unity in spite of tough times.

Lisa B: There are tons of great moms out there. But I'd have to say that in addition to my mom and mother-in-law, my cousin Kris is the epitomy of inspiration. Over the years, she's had cancer in her breasts, her brain, spine... but she's beat it several times. Unfortunately it keeps coming back. But she continues to fight. She's teaching her children (as well as everyone around her) a precious lesson --- never quit the battle. Her love for her family is so powerful. She may not FEELcourageous, but we all think she is.

Jennifer Nybo: My mom, my grandmom and my friend Rebeca.

Lisa Stone: My parents

Donna Schwartz Mills: My sister. She had her first two kids several years before me, and she's done a great job with them.

Julie (mothergoosemouse): My aunt. Don't get me wrong, I love my mother to pieces, but my aunt is simply amazing.

Angie: My own mom, my now-deceased mother-in-law, and friends with older kids

Krisco: The best parts of my mom, combined with the anti-thing
of the things I didn't like. Plus my sister, who ventured into this realm about five years before me,
and knew all about Mylicon and Teething Tabs, and was thus rendered an Expert.

(No, Mom, just kidding! I liked everything! Really! Don't read this if you don't like what I have to say!
I mean, Mostly, I model on you! Didn't you see that part?! Come on...you're the best!)"

Holli: Mainly my mother, but all the women in my family have taught me something important (we are a family dominated by women). They're all different, all strong - and they've all had their own unique experiences that throw something different into the mix. I've learned a lot from my mom, my grandmothers and my sister too. I just want to be the best mom I can be. I want to learn as much as I can, give more than I receive - love and be loved. And I hope someday if someone were to ask Faith who her role model is - she would say it's me.. then I would know I did my job right!

Heather Brewer: My sister, Dawn, is an amazing mother. I really look up to her. Other than that, I just ask myself what kind of mom I wish I'd had, and try hard to be like her.

Dawn: My mom and my grandma. Learned what to do and what to not do.

Leah: This is a tougie. I have so many people around me who have done amazing jobs with their families. My mom, my grandma, and my husband's mom all come to mind right off the top of my head. Online, though, I think everyone can find something to love about Ask Moxie.

landismom: Hmm, I'd say it's a combination of my own mom, my paternal grandmother, and a really good friend of mine who has kids about ten years older.

Mary Tsao: I grew up with a lot of women in my life so besides my own mom, my mothering role models include my grandma, my aunts, as well as my sister, who had her kids 10 years before me. It's almost creepy when I open my mouth and out comes something my aunt or my grandma used to say. Like, "Blah blah blah... and if you do that, we'll ALL be sorry!"

Role Model? I don't need no freakin' role model!...

Tuesday Girl: Britney Spears.
Come on 'yall you know you love to drive with your baby as co-pilot, after all he had much more sleep then you did.
Just kidding. I love my Mom but I am not sure she is my "role model" she gave me the love and nurturing I needed to be my own person. I am my own role model because I do try to be ""super Mom"" but at the same time I know I will never be. The struggle makes me a better Mom, friend, daughter and wife.
What more could you ask for?"

Dawn: Joan Crawford? No? I don't think I really have one. I watch friends and family and I combine things that I saw and thought "I really want to do that", or "Please, god, don't let me do THAT."

I've come to a place where I think that there can't be a "role model" for mothering. You've got to do it, your way, the best you can. Comparing yourself to the Uber-Mom's can come to no good. This is your child and you are his/her mother. You both have to find out about yourselves and each other - every day. And try not to aim for the head.

Mama C-ta: I always look to my mom for the perfect examples of what not to do. Does that count? I know my Mother In Law is a great Mom but she lets me find my way. I think I'm too stubborn to look to anyone as a role model. I rather screw up royally on my own. And believe me, there have been many days I have.

MorahMommy: I don't think I really have one. My own mother was a good mother, but she did and still does a lot of things that I hope I never do. I hope I'm a better parent than my parents, just as I hope my children will be even better parents than me.

KCB: I don’t have one. Each family’s dynamics and personalities are different, and becoming a mother has taught me that all mothers are imperfect and learn as they go. I learn from other mothers, but I have enough work to do with my two rowdy, crafty boys without measuring myself against anyone else.

Mrs. Darling: You know, I don't have one. I don't mean to sound arrogant but I'm the best mother I know. I don't have one friend or acquaintence who does a better job or tries harder than I do. I put my entire self into parenting. When I'm not parenting hands on than I'm working it all out in my brain. I rehash what worked and what didnt and what I'll do next time the situation arises. Mothering consumes me.

Christina Rosalie: I don't really have one…

Currently inspiring the next generation...

MrsDoF: When I was growing up, it was my friend Marjorie's mother. She was the only stay-at-home mom I knew back then. My mother and aunts and neighbors all had jobs with a timeclock. I got to be a stay-at-home mom for 7 years, and then went to a job that was only 25 hours a week so that I would be done when the boys got home from school. Our 3 sons are academic scholars through college, so we must have done something right. These days, I am asked questions by the younger moms, so I guess I am the role model.

Going back to college and earning my Associate Degree seems to be a big deal to the younger women. I figure it's about time, I don't have kids at home anymore. (I'll be 50 next month)"

I'd like to thank the Internet Academy of Inspiring Bloggers...

Krystyn: Primarily, my grandmother. My mother was just 16 when I was born, so my grandmother was a big part of my life. And I was so fortunate for that. She had four children and a wealth of experience. She was warm, intelligent, encouraged independence and self-sufficiency... I loved her laugh and her ability to celebrate life even in times of strife.

She passed away two years ago, and I cannot help but feel like she has passed on a part of her maternal confidence and inner peace to me. My life has been tumultuous this past year, but inside I have a sense of tranquility that has been absent until now.

There are also dozens of kindred spirits I have met through blogging and Mama Says Om, some of whom I consider to be my best friends, and many who I look up to as mama role models.

Christa ,Elaine ,Andrea ,Nicole ,Allison ,Cara ,Christina ,Theron ,Carol ,Stephanie...

I am soooooo lucky to live in an age where mothers across the planet can unite, share, inspire and vent.

Just yesterday Irene sent me an email
all the way from Paris that said "you may feel like a mess, but I like to believe that you are not. you're just not where you wish you were right now. but remember that it's not necessarily a bad thing. keep laughing, keep hoping, keep loving, keep doing things you love." It was just what I needed to hear, and would have been an impossibility had I been born in another era!

And rounding up our inspiration, we hand the entry over to...

Madge: A Mother Compass

My mother wouldn’t be on anybody’s list of People After Which To Model Oneself. So, I’d have to look
outside my own childhood home to find a suitable mothering compass. Luckily, I found several women,
especially as a teenager, whose parenting styles appealed to me and after whom I have since tried to
model myself. One woman stands out in particular.

The summer I was sixteen I worked as a mother’s helper in Fire Island, NY. I was charged with the care of the
younger half of a family of four boys. They lived in Ohio during the year, so the Dad only came out for an
occasional weekend and the last week or two. Other than that, it was be the Mom, four boys and yours
truly. We had a great time and have kept in variable touch ever since.

I think I expected to have a fun summer. They are a fantastic family and I’ve always loved being
surrounded by big families of boys. What I didn’t expect was how much I’d learn from my boss.

That house was a constant whirlwind of BOY. Surf boards, boogie boards, tennis rackets, ping pong
paddles, fishing equipment, balls, books, radios, cassette tapes, bikes, bikes and more bikes. There was
every kind of music playing and any given minute. There was always someone eating. And there were always
other boys in the house in addition to the already generous number of boys living there. It was CRAZY.

But in the middle of this cyclone, was She. Their mom was the youngest looking mother of four I’d ever
known. She was tall and blond and sweet and funny. She was a dancer. And while she was also a professor, it
was this designation of dancer that transcended her every move: in playing tennis, in blanching peaches,
in reprimanding her children. She delivered rules, pronouncements and punishments with the authority of a
professor, but with the added calm grace of a dancer. She absolutely fascinated me.

She encouraged each of her children in whatever interest captured his fantasy. She indulged fleeting
whims like my friend’s piercing of his eyebrow or dying his blond hair black. She supported another
son’s desire try acting in New York for a year AT AGE 15. She seemed to know that the best way to get things
out of one’s system was to allow the experimentation (within limits, of course). And when a whim turned to
passion, she put everything into supporting it. She treated her sons with wonderful cocktail of respect
and admiration.

She seemed to have just one requirement: Respect women. She took this gaggle of boys from their
conservative Ohio suburb on overnight road trips to DC to march in Pro-Choice rallies. She made sure they
were politically aware, but didn’t chastise them if they chose a path apart from hers.

She also maintained her autonomy as a woman and a professional within her identity as a mother. When the
opportunity arose for her to pursue her Doctorate at NYU, she jumped at it. Her youngest boy was still in
elementary school when she began commuting from Ohio to New York to complete this course of study. This
can’t have been an easy decision for her or her family, but her pursuit of this dream was a powerful
lesson for those boys.

And they have certainly taken her lead. Each one is accomplished in his field: one a television news
reporter, one an architect, one an actor and one a recording artist. One took a winding path to success
and others were fiercely determined from the beginning. No matter the journey each of them took,
their mother was always cheering them on, offering guidance, support and absolutely unconditional love.

Now, THAT? That’s the compass I want with me on this journey."