How my daughter taught me to manage my own mood

It is important to manage your own mood.

It is something I always keep in mind, but
there are days when I cannot manage my mood well.

Recently, something happened where my daughter taught me how to manage my mood.

A small habit that started from imitating Mom

I use an osmanthus-scented hand cream.

When I am tired, I want to center myself even a little, so I
apply it to my hands and take a deep breath.

A small habit to regulate my own mood.

One day, imitating me, my daughter

said, "I want you to put that on me."

When I applied it to her hands,
she sniffed it and said,

"It smells good. It smells like Mom."

My daughter said that and looked happy.

Just like that,
I took her to daycare as usual.

The day she told me, "I calmed down because of Mom's scent"

When I went to pick her up at daycare,

my daughter quietly told me this:

"When something bad happened,
I smelled my hands. It was Mom's scent, so I calmed down."

When I heard those words,
I was a little surprised.

Oh, she was trying to manage her own mood right then and there.
She wasn't waiting for someone else to fix it for her,

she was trying to calm herself down.

Even though she is still small,
she faces her own feelings properly.

You've grown up a little more, haven't you?

"Manage your own mood."

It sounds simple,
but it's difficult even for adults.

But my daughter,
had found her own way to do it.

It just so happened to be
"Mommy's scent,"

and from now on, little by little,
she will likely find more ways to manage her own mood.

I used to think that children
were beings that needed to be protected.

But sometimes,
they teach me things like this.

How to face your own feelings.
How to bounce back.

You've grown up
a little more, haven't you?

Thinking that,
I felt a little lonely,
but I was also truly happy.

And so, I too,
will make sure to manage my own mood.

Thank you for reading this far.
May your day be a wonderful one.