Having a kid certainly turns your life upside down -- and your emotions can shift in ways you never expected. Some parents find that once they have a kid, they cry at every sappy commercial, while others have a stronger aversion to violence or find themselves dealing with more anxiety.
We asked the HuffPost Parents community what emotional changes they went through after having a baby, and we got so many interesting and varied responses:
“After become a mom, my sense of needing to protect my babies is so amped… momma bear mode is absolutely real.” -- Candyce Smst Hunter
“I've always been an emotional person (I could cry at a drop of a hat), but after I had my first son and more so after my second, I cry less. It's been very noticeable to me. I've come to realization that I'm stronger and want to present a better balance for my sons.” -- Nathalie Waite Brown
“I have discovered since having children, particularly once I had several, that I tend to be much more patient with the exhausted-looking woman in line in front of me who can't find her bank card, or the man who is just sitting in his car in the parking lot staring into space... I imagine him or her as the parents of a teething baby who was up all night, or a teenager who just got suspended for smoking on school grounds. Parenting has made me much more sympathetic and much more likely to assume the best instead of expecting the worst from my fellow humans.” -- Christie Hiner
“As a teacher, I get more emotional thinking about how my students are treated by each other, and by their families. I look at it from a mother's perspective as well as from that of an educator. It's smoothed over how I interact with difficult children, too.” -- Sarah Ayala Márquez
“Ever since I had my son (and during pregnancy, of course), I feel like my emotions have been hijacked. It's not just sad things that get me choked up, either. Prideful and joyful moments can also bring tears to my eyes. I understand now why parents cry on graduation and wedding days.” -- Ashley Murphy
“My husband has cried more in the past two years of kids than in the 10 years I've known him!” -- Laura Waters
“Your heart changes so much after having a child. You're softened and your edges are sanded down... I'm much more emotional in the way that if my boys hurt, I hurt worse. When I see their feelings hurt or they're physically in pain, it kills me. I can take whatever you throw at me: insults, name calling, maybe even a punch, but when it comes to my boys, I'm a water fountain of tears! Motherhood is the most frustrating, yet rewarding job there is and I wouldn't have it any other way!” -- Marly Mayo Smith
“My husband and I both have become sweet, sensitive and silly since our son was born. We have changed jobs to be with him more. Our whole outlook on life is so much more different and wonderful with a child. You are your natural self and learn real, unconditional love.” -- Renee Arbia
“Being a mum has calmed me down immensely. I’m less stressed and have significantly less anxiety than i did before children.” -- Sarah Berveling
“Something that I didn't expect was postpartum anxiety. Having anxiety and worrying about every little thing is emotionally and physically exhausting. In the mind of an anxious mother, practically every little thing that she does involves a hazard.” -- Caitlin Parker Green
“I used to be timid and not speak up, but now I'm more vocal, especially when it comes to my babies.” -- Amanda L Vazquez
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