Today is the 10-year anniversary of the day I became a parent. And what a difference a decade makes. In place of a squishy, swaddled lump of a baby, I now have a vibrant, athletic, kind-hearted, extremely loud, almost fifth grader.

On milestone birthdays like this, it can be easy to focus on how much my daughter has grown and developed over the years. However, as a researcher who studies intentional personality change, I wanted to take today to reflect on the ways becoming a parent inspired me to nudge some of my traits.

Before we go too far, here’s a quick primer on personality. Research tells us that five traits (e.g., The Big Five) can summarize personality differences across people: neuroticism (propensity to experience negative emotions),

© Psychology Today