Today’s tip is a simple reminder. Your baby is learning how to be in the world by watching YOU.  Let’s talk mornings.

 

You know how some people naturally wake up with a smile? And some wake up feeling like the sunlight is an annoying imposition?

 

I have a feeling you’d like your baby to be in the first category. You want them to grow into someone who wakes up with a bounce, ready to tackle the day with energy.

 

The good news is that you have a say in that.

 

It’s true that temperament, personality and circumstance  play a part. But how we wake up has a lot to do with habit. We get used to behaving in certain ways, and our behavior is often a reflection of those around us.

 

So here’s what I’m proposing…

 

Despite the fact that you had to wake up to your baby 17 times last night, and that you never actually got out the door because your baby had a blowout just as you were stepping out and by the time you got them changed all over again it was raining, and that your to do list is longer than a Kmart receipt…

 

Greet your baby in the morning with a smile.

 

(And for extra credit add a song, which will do so much more. Here’s a post about that.)

 

I know. That’s easier said than done. 

 

When your exhaustion level is so far beyond another cup of coffee and you start your morning fantasizing about a nap, smiling in the morning feels like the uncomfortable halloween costume your mother made and you can’t stand wearing.

 

But there’s a lot at stake here. If you manage to do this your baby learns something they will take with them for the rest of their lives:

 

That it’s up to us to start the day out right no matter what came before it. And often all it takes is raising the corners of our mouths and greeting those around us with a wink.

 

Obviously, sometimes we just can’t smile. We’re too overwhelmed. Life feels too heavy, too dark.

 

But I’m talking about those days when we just need a bit of a nudge.

 

Morning is an opportunity for a reset. You get to emotionally start over.

 

And your sweet baby is eagerly waiting for you like a super fan at a Harry Styles concert. All they want is for you to come to them. Your mere presence makes them happy!

 

So on those days when you just don’t feel like smiling, take a breath, move a slower, remember that your morning smile teaches your baby so much more than what they see in that very moment.

 

And here’s the best part – when you smile at your baby in the morning they’re going to smile back even bigger, and that smile is going to give you a boost, and then its a neverending feedback loop. 

 

Until the meltdown. Or the blowout. But no matter what the day brings you had your morning smiles 🙂

 

So what do you think – are you cursing me right now for even assuming you might be able to smile when you’re so darn exhausted? Or is this something you try to do with your baby? Comment below and let me know.

 

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