Every night, while we are getting ready for bed, my 3-year-old daughter turns her attention to something else to prolong the inevitable: our strict 8 p.m. bedtime.

So I tease her for a little bit, to get her laugh and to forget that the big hand on the clock is tick tick ticking toward the 8. I gave her a big hug and told her I loved her, and her brother and her daddy more than words.

Her response shocked me.

She leaned all 31 pounds of her loveliness onto me, looked up at my face and said, "Mommy, do you love yourself?"

Damn. Baby girl rendered me speechless! Who knew such wisdom was lurking in the mind of a toddler?

"Yes, sweetie, I love myself," I replied, hugging her even tighter.

"Good. 'Cause I love myself, too!" she said, a smile on her face.

It seems like every day I'm struggling to hammer these important life lessons into my kids so they leave my house and contribute something positive to the world. It feels great when they do the same, so I can leave the house every day with a smile on my face and a positive attitude.