As we get older our minds start to conform to the world we grow in. We learn about rule following, proper etiquette, how to look and act professional. Sometimes, we become so hyper-focused on such qualities, that we lose sense of the playfulness touch we all once had.
And this is why working with kids make me a better person.
When I enter work, I enter their world.
And their world… is so much more fun and stress-free than mine.
Children remind us that it is okay to be messy. You spilled chocolate pudding on your shirt and now it looks like a poop stain? Children don’t care. We will laugh and joke about this brown spot that is now engrained in my shirt and we will laugh for at the very minimum, five minutes about it. In the fancy, professional world, it might be seen as unkempt, uncoordinated, and lacking in professional attire. But kids? They really don’t care. At all. Heck, they can count at the very minimum, two sticky spots from the pancakes at breakfast that is shiny on their arms now from being dried up as well as three spaghetti stains from lunch from when the strings of spaghetti (that completely missed their tiny mouth), sprung right onto their colorful dinosaur shorts.
Children remind us that we don’t have to always have an agenda. They remind me it’s okay to be spontaneous and go with the flow. And sometimes, that might mean having at least six activities we flop between for an hour. Who said we can’t play restaurant but also dress up in superhero costumes? I’m in. I am 100% invested in whatever it is they suggest (unless of course, its a safety issue, which is usually pretty often).
Speaking of safety, Children remind me its okay to be impulsive (sometimes). They don’t think, they just do. I often tread lightly and have to think about every single scenario and anticipate every action prior to an event occurring. But no. Not children. They will jump on a couch, onto a pillow, roll onto a mat, crawl through a tunnel, probably find a random toy under the couch in the process, and still manage to carry the once-again revived toy back to the couch without touching the floor (because the floor is lava, duh). Working with kids opens up my willingness to try new things and ideas they want to try (with of course taking that safety piece into consideration).
I believe I am naturally a creative and artsy person. But when I am with kids, my creative qualities just seem to rip right through the seams. They seem to love my silly, off the wall ideas. They remind me I need to express my creative, silly, imaginative ideas more. Children offer so many perspectives and teach me new things every single day.
The most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed is seeing a child learn something new for the first time. It is like you can physically see the connections being made in their brain and their body. And you are there, witnessing the process. Seeing this process repeat itself over and over is like finding four leaf clovers repetitively – how could I be so lucky to visually see something so natural and beautiful occur?
And this is why I work with children. They remind me that I will, at my core, always be a kid at heart.
They remind me not to take life too serious.
Amanda Gibbs
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