Yesterday was my last day with the little guys.... After spending five afternoons a week with them for almost a year, the munchkins I nanny have become a huge part of my life. I spent a lot of time thinking about how when I first moved to Indiana and was struggling majorly with homesickness, I had two smiling faces, full of love, to look forward to everyday. They truly put every smile on my face those first few difficult months. Yes, it was a big change to go from working in an office with adults to working solely with kids. BUT, as time went on, I learned to appreciate life through the eyes of two little people who saw the world as a fun, exciting, beautiful place. Whether it being spotting raccoons in the backyard and squealing with delight or walking by a big yellow school bus on our way to the park, nothing in their world went unnoticed or unappreciated. We could all learn a lot from kids... how they take each other's hands when they're scared, share their bubbles on the porch after some gentle prodding, or try to teach the ones younger than them how to play a game or tie their shoes. They are in that fabulous stage of learning, growing, and trying to figure out how to be good little people.
As the day was winding down yesterday, I found myself sitting on the couch reading the Velveteen Rabbit to the kids' baby dolls. There was a quote inside that really resonated with me and I feel like anyone who has worked with children will relate: "When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real." And it's true. Before I moved here, I was fixated on what people thought of me... what people thought of what I did, where I lived, how I looked.... leaving a great job and exciting city and starting fresh with hardly anything to identify with was a struggle for me. I realized I didn't appreciate myself or feel proud of who I was for the right reasons. Those things (what you do, where you live, how you look)- they're superficial and honestly, not very many people actually care. But how you treat people, the warmth others feel in your presence, the care you give and the smiles you put on faces, those things MATTER. They matter SO much. And no one teaches you that like a child. They don't care what you do... where you live... how you look. It means nothing to them because all they care about is how much fun they have with you, if you can pick them up and clean their scrapes when they fall, if you take care of them and love them. And they love you... so so very much, for all those right reasons. They may complain, argue back, throw fits or fight... but at the end of the day, they give you hugs, they make you laugh and they remind you every day that you are perfect, just as you are.
So stay patient with those little people... try to let yourself learn from them just as often as they learn from you. Because even though you may still have moments of insecurity or when you feel less than up to par with your own standards, they show you how to value the really good stuff.
As the day was winding down yesterday, I found myself sitting on the couch reading the Velveteen Rabbit to the kids' baby dolls. There was a quote inside that really resonated with me and I feel like anyone who has worked with children will relate: "When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real." And it's true. Before I moved here, I was fixated on what people thought of me... what people thought of what I did, where I lived, how I looked.... leaving a great job and exciting city and starting fresh with hardly anything to identify with was a struggle for me. I realized I didn't appreciate myself or feel proud of who I was for the right reasons. Those things (what you do, where you live, how you look)- they're superficial and honestly, not very many people actually care. But how you treat people, the warmth others feel in your presence, the care you give and the smiles you put on faces, those things MATTER. They matter SO much. And no one teaches you that like a child. They don't care what you do... where you live... how you look. It means nothing to them because all they care about is how much fun they have with you, if you can pick them up and clean their scrapes when they fall, if you take care of them and love them. And they love you... so so very much, for all those right reasons. They may complain, argue back, throw fits or fight... but at the end of the day, they give you hugs, they make you laugh and they remind you every day that you are perfect, just as you are.
So stay patient with those little people... try to let yourself learn from them just as often as they learn from you. Because even though you may still have moments of insecurity or when you feel less than up to par with your own standards, they show you how to value the really good stuff.
