Have you found that being a parent has made you examine yourself and become a better

[javic]

My son is just getting to the stage where he is becoming a real little person. Beginning to talk and starting to challenge me in how he behaves. This has really made me think about how I'll choose to behave with him and how I want him to grow up. I've done a lot of reading into different styles of parenting, which has helped me come to an understanding about myself and how I want my son to be brought up.

But, more than that, it has, amazingly, given me a better insight into how I am as a person, how I've gotten to be that way, why it's not ideal and also how to improve on it. One thing I've really started to understand is the idea that you do not have control over a lot of things that happen, but you can control how you react to it. I've heard that sort of thing said a lot, without it meaning much to me butI feel I understand it now. If something is stressing me out, like my son refusing to do what I say, I can either get stressed and angry or think about why I'm getting worked up and decide to let it go, to find another way to deal with it, which is often just a matter of simply changing my own perspective rather than changing anything external!

It's amazing to me that I can learn so many things as a mother, and truly feel that I understand them, which I could never grasp it before. I genuinely believe that through this process of teaching my son about the world and how to fit in, that I will become a better person myself. I think it's such a beautiful idea that I'd like to hear other parent's experiences in this area. I'd also be interested to hear from those who did not feel this way as a parent.

[Aries7]

Yep. I am more & more aware of how I react in situations now since having DD. I'm alot slower to anger than my pre-parenting days. I have definitely become a more patient person.

My DD also makes me take a new perspective on basically everything these days. I see things through new eyes when my DD studies with great focus, a rock or a leaf or a piece of fluff off the floor!

However, also noticing the difference in me, makes me aware of family/friends more. Some people who I had no problem with before, now their attitude/manner really irks me, especially if it's in front of DD.