Right after I finished my summer classes, I finally had some time off before my fall semester would begin. What did I decide to do with all that time? Well, I signed myself up as a volunteer camp counselor at my local animal shelter, Acadiana Animal Aid in Carencro, Louisiana. I thought that I could help with arts and crafts or be some sort of muscle force. Little did I know that these kids would teach me so much about myself. It's cliche to say, but completely true.
While I discovered myself as a would-be adult, I learned a few things about animal shelters along with the kids through the activities offered: the kids got to see a spay/neuter surgery and learned about the transport system within animal shelters. They also talked about the importance of fostering and adopting animals and how money plays such an important factor to all that can be done in a shelter. It wasn't all business and medical that the kids learned; they also got to meet the dog trainer on-site and read to a rescued-dog-turned-therapy-dog. It was a blessing each day to see all of the little ones so eager to learn and express compassion to animals and each other.
1. Children are ecstatic and have this attitude that they're on top of the world.
Yes, I adored all the kids that told me they want to grow up and become a veterinarian. They really believe in themselves when they tell me they want to save animals, and how much they love animals. I let some of the boys and girls know that there were schools available in our state that offers training to become vets, but also that there were different types of vets for each animal. I didn't have the heart to blindly encourage them, without some sort of tap on the shoulder of reality. However, I was completely amazed at the ones that raised their hand to share a story about their pet or one that they knew in front of the entire camp of about 25 kids and the adults. Being around such optimism certainly perked me up a bit.
2. They can be so pure with their emotions.
One of the children raised his hand happily to talk about his aunt's cat for a solid three minutes, and was just so eager to share his story with everyone. While leading my group between activity stations, one of the kids asked me, "Do you like working here?" to which I responded, "I really love volunteering here." I was honestly touched that a person younger than I thought of me as just that, a person, and not a scary adult.
3. I found out how to use my "adult" voice.
I have a pretty soft voice, and I was raised as the youngest of three. I never really had to babysit or come into contact with a child as an authority figure, so I didn't know I had a "grown up" voice. Until, my group of eight kids and I were walking outside, and I had to let one of them know not to walk on the gravel road. There was no car in sight, but you have to let the kids know what's safe. Plus, if anything happens to one of them, it's on you, the adult in charge.
4. I learned how to be the adult in the situation among older adults and teenagers.
This is the weird part in life, like having a baby tooth that you can pull out on your own without mom or dad's help. I was the one a child reported to if they had to go to the bathroom. I'd round up a gang of pups that needed to potty, and let the other adult counselor stay behind to watch the kids that didn't need to go. After the end of the day, I let the junior counselors know it was time to clean up, otherwise they'd be socializing or playing on their smartphones.
5. It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times.
On my first day, I had a crying child. We were paired together for an icebreaker game, and when it came time to introduce himself, he immediately started to bawl. I took him aside, and gave him some privacy, and just talked to him. There were some indiscernible words between sobs, but he felt better and let me walk him back out to the group. Moments later, someone he knew arrived to camp, and he sprang right out of his seat to sit next to his buddy. Just like that, I realize that college students aren't too different from kids. Sometimes it feels like the end of the world, but all you need is to be listened to and have a good friend next to you.
Disclaimer: kids will be kids. I did have some kids that were loud, and some kids I had to repeatedly remind the rules to. However, I can't forget this one incident during a puffy paint activity with pillow cases where one boy was using a color, and another boy asked to use. There was no disagreement or name calling, just patience and friendly sharing.
