"I hate you, you're mean and you don't understand"She told me like fighting was something I'd planned.
"You go to your room and don't come out till you're calm"I tell her, voice steady and mind filled with qualm.
I see tears appear yet she does as I sayI wonder if there might be some better way
I learn about habits, how they rearrangeOur mental pathways which can strengthen or change
Some other method to teach and to guide How to soothe and express what she's feeling inside
I take to the books that my wife used to keepAnd read every night before I go to sleep
So next fight, I breathe deeply in and then out Stay calm, and keep nodding with her every shout
And somehow it stills the turmoil withinAlthough it may appear like I'm letting her win
One more fighting moment when I seem to concedeAnd she looks unsure about how to proceed
The more that I keep my cool in every fightThe calmer she gets and the end is in sight
Another day's fight and I smile amusedAt how easy new conflicts seem to get diffused
We're bombarded with data and learn every dayYet nothing can change if we don't lead the waySo use information that's tested and true,But the power of habits lies in what you DO!
Then one fateful day when I smile she smiles backShe gives me a hug and I'm taken aback.