My three-year-old daughter is one of the strongest little women that I know. As I watch her grow into this amazing person, I can't help but feel accomplished and proud.
It is my job to mould her and to help her become the adult she will one day be, but I feel as though her impact on my own growth and development is so much greater. She encompasses so many incredible traits that make her, surprisingly, an inspiration for me - her 29-year-old mother.
These are some of her qualities that I admire.
Passion
My girl feels with every part of her soul. She feels the utter most depth of sorrow and can reach such a level of excitement that she physically shakes.
It's beautiful to watch and a constant reminder to stop and feel. It's so easy to move through life with muted emotions.
Being a shift-working household with two little children, feeling to that degree can be dampened by fatigue. And being that open to emotion can sometimes expose a vulnerability in life that could welcome disappointment and disaster.
But it is such a marvellous thing to watch and experience and worth every risk.
It is a really precious trait and I hope she lives with this much passion within herself her entire life.
Love
My little girl explodes with love - that's such a silly expression, but it suits. She pours it openly and willingly into everything.
She is constantly showing signs of affection whether it be hugs, kisses or hand holding, but these are just the surface. It's the small, thoughtless actions that truly show the depth.
She wants to sit on me. She constantly wants me around. She wants to tell me about and show me all her achievements. She speaks like me and replicates my actions. She watches me with intent and admiration, openly and honestly.
It's amazing and such an honour to be loved that much. It reminds me to show my love with greater actions then just the most obvious ones.
Strength
She is beyond strong. She is a bossy little tyrant and I love that. I honestly do. It is not always easy when she is throwing attitude at me and demanding I adhere to her every request, but it is a quality in her that I love.
She is not only strong willed and savvy, but she is has a strength of character which is bewildering. She will try anything and truly believes that she can do whatever she puts her mind to. I never, ever want that to fade.
I don't want her to question her decisions in life and her worth and I will do all I can to cement that strength. She has made me stronger. She reminds me with her confidence and courage that I am equally beautiful. I am her mother and I created her. I am superwomen.
She has given me a confidence that I never had.
Compassion
Although my little one rules in a feisty fashion, underneath that tutu-wearing dictator is the heart of absolute purity. This is paramount.
Her soft and gentle pats to our many animals, her sneaky cuddles and kisses she shares with her younger sister and her genuine concern if I am ever upset is her highest quality she possesses. Among all the beautiful ins and outs of her personality, this is it. This is the one thing that I admire most.
You can't make a child feel compassion. You can demonstrate how you are meant to act and feel, but if someone - particularly a toddler - doesn't honestly feel for another, they're certainly not going to fake it.
Watching these true, heartfelt reactions to others is grounding and it makes me feel as though I must be doing something right in the chaos that is motherhood.