I've worked at a daycare since my junior year of high school, and have just finished up what is probably my last summer there. While being responsible for the safety, entertainment and care of up to 40 kids at once can be exhausting, it is definitely super fun and has really taught me a lot.
After saying lots of tearful goodbyes this past Friday, I was able to reflect on my time at the daycare and all that I've learned. While the list is extensive and mainly composed of things like "One Million Ways to Play Tag" and "How to Identify if a Child Has Washed Their Hands Based Solely on Smell" there was definitely some other lessons that will prove to be more useful for me later in life, like these ones:
1.) How to Do All Types of 2-Minute Hairstyles
In any given morning at work, I'd easily do hair for 10 girls. And a couple hours after I had finished one girl’s hair, she'd take it out and ask (quite sweetly) to have something else done. After my first summer, I developed a whole resume of quick hairdos. A few of my specialties include: heart braids, all other types of braids (my record is five french braids on one little head), and french twists (which are available in either a crown or a ponytail - and yes, it can take a while for a child to choose between the two). The only downside to this is that it has in no way improved my ability to do my own hair, but maybe one day I'll catch on.
2.) That Patience is a Choice
Spending 10 hours a day surrounded by 40 seven and eight-year olds is pretty exhausting. Having to repeat what snack is 15 times or ask a child to stop roughhousing over and over again gets exceedingly frustrating. At times like this it gets easy to just snap at a kid without really thinking about it, and trust me I snapped more times than I'd care to admit. But it's crazy how over my 3 years of working with kids I've gotten so much better at stopping, taking a breath and then just making the choice to address the situation with patience and grace instead of my initial frustration.
3.) Perspective
It can be hard to be understanding of a child who is distraught over something relatively trivial like a lost craft or a few stolen Lego pieces. But just like big things are important to big people, little things are important to little people, and I always had to remember that when handling an upset child. Over my three years at the daycare I learned that part of respecting someone is giving value to what's important to them, regardless of how dumb it might seem to you personally.
4.) Self-Esteem
Once kids reach a certain age, daycare stops being as cool to them. And they’ll tell you that they hate it anytime you suggest a game that they don’t want to play, announce a snack they don’t want to eat or sometimes even dare to breathe in their general direction. Of course, after redirecting them to something more positive, you’ll have to remind yourself over and over again that it’s not you they hate, it’s that you remind them of their lack of independence.
All this practicing of positive self talk carries over into real life, and as a result I've gotten pretty good at maintaining my self esteem. #blessed
5.) Kids Are Pretty Freaking Rad
While I certainly had plenty of frustrating moments during my time working at a daycare, the joyous ones well surpassed the tough ones. Kids are freaking hilarious and sweet and mine taught me so much in the time I was able to work with them. Next summer definitely won't be the same without seeing all their smiles every morning, but I'm sure I'll be back to visit soon.
