a careful mother/a caring mother

[englishhobby]

Today I think I made a mistake with my students. We were making a list of adjectives to describe a girl's mother's personality (a fiction character) and I used "careful" meaning "caring". Is it really a big mistake? Is the phrase "a careful mother" possible and, if yes, what's the difference between a careful mother and a caring mother? What is "a careful mother" associated for you with?

 

[emsr2d2]

Well, a caring mother would almost certainly also be careful but they don't mean the same thing in this context.

A caring mother does and says things that show love and devotion.
A careful mother tries to make sure that accidents don't befall her child/children.