The Title is a lie, I just liked the way it alliterated and it sounded smart.
Yesterday I went to the YMCA yet again, and it was a blast, again!
I love working with the children, and find their intelligence amazing sometimes.
Example number one, I have only been to this YMCA three times previous to this one, if my memory is correct, and while I was there for three hours, these children are bound to have lives full of interesting activities and tons of other people, yet a lot of the children remember who I am. When I went in friday one little girl looked up (there were only a handful of children at the time) and started screeching "POLLYPOLLYPOLLYPOLLY" as she ran over to tackle me. I was really surprised to be remembered by these 5 and 6 year olds, and to be remembered so fondly too. Other children, alerted by the first girl's cry, came over, and some of the children coming down the stairs gave me passing hugs as they went to put their stuff away. Honestly that is one of the reasons I really love children, because they are so open with their affection.
Example number two, one of the girls that came to me earlier came back after attendance.
"You know Japanese, right?"
I crouch down to her level, "Yeah, some, why?"
She then starts an adorable rendition of Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes in Japanese, messing up Knees and Toes. She then asks me what the face ones are and so I go through it, now to a group of about 7. After I finish they ask me what all the parts mean, so I go "Mei...that's eyes, Mimi, that's ears...Hana, that's nose...Kuchi, that's mouth..."
"My friend's name is Hannah!" One girl interrupts. I laughed. I don't think it means nose, though. I thought as I motioned the group back to their respective tables.
Children are amazing, and while they can be annoying, I can't wait to have my own...when the time is right.
I truly admire you for working with children. I have worked with children before and I’m not sure if its all children, the children I worked with, or just my lack of patience level, but I could not handle them. The situation you were describing about when they were all screaming your name I literally don’t think I could deal with that haha. It definitely takes a lot of patience and calmness to deal with children, which is a trait I don’t think that I have completely developed yet. I think that is why I like working with the elderly at the retirement home. I like having conversations with them and learning about what they have done in their lifetime and hearing about what they have learned throughout the years. I think their stories are interesting and fascinating sometimes. But still, I admire you for working with them; it seems you have found your niche! To each their own!
ReplyDeleteYou’re right, kids are so great! I’ve had something close to the experience you’ve described here with some of the kids that I’ve babysat. Being called Aunt Julia felt great!
ReplyDeleteI think that kids have a much better memory than any of us give them credit for. I’ve had some kids remember entire conversations that we had a month earlier while I’m trying to remember what their name is. Then there are some kids who can remember these conversations and not even remember their parents’ rules about bedtime. The words ‘selective memory’ does not even begin to describe how kids can be.