Having a baby feels like someone is suddenly holding up a mirror and asking you to take a good look at yourself. All the things I was ever conscious of not liking about myself are at once drawn into sharp focus and put under a magnifying glass. I realize I don't want my daughter to inherent these bad habits (she'll certainly inherit plenty of other characteristics I'm less aware of) but for the moment I'm owning the things I have a power to change.
One of the biggest things I've become aware of is being softer and more patient toward infuriating circumstances and people.
I've been working hard to catch my inner dialogue and counter my negative habits by thinking about the scenario or the person with a different perspective. Compassion has not always been my strong suit, I'll be the first to admit it and having a daughter is real inspiration to clean it up and change. It's not hard to look at her perfectly innocent face and think of how much she will pick up by my example. If I expect her to be compassionate, kind and patient then its time I behave accordingly.
Learning to be a kinder, gentler person is a pretty sweet lesson and really why wouldn't I want to show her my softer side? I have a hunch this is the first of many, many lessons this little sage is going to teach me.
