I’ve been a babysitter since I was 14. Despite the drool, the spit-up, and the diapers, I love it. I love the laughter and their imagination running rampant, I love their amazement and utter fascination in magic and science, and I love their hugs and the way they say “Miss Emma’s here!” I love what I do, but most of all, I love that I learn from the kids every time I babysit.
As a broody teenager turned somewhat functional young adult, it was pretty stereotypical of me to assume I had the world figured out. I was always the kind of kid ready to take on the world – and I still stubbornly am – and that attitude and arrogance has a tendency to sometimes blind me from possible learning opportunities, especially ones coming from adults. Like any teenager, I had this mental image of myself as practically an adult already, so what more could they teach me? It took the wide-eyes and boisterous nature of a little kid to show me that maybe the biggest life lessons come in tiny packages.
From watching the little ones run around, I’ve learned that it’s just so simple so accept other people. Kids are sponges, true, but they are also blank slates, and they don’t care what religion you practice, or who you’re voting for, or the color of your skin, or even if you root for the “damn Yankees”. Kids care if you’re kind and funny. For them, acceptance is as easy as an outstretched hand. I think we could all learn how to be more like that.
Kids have also shown me that life is one great big mess – and that’s totally ok. Fun, even! It’s all about making the most out of life’s messes. Spilled paint can lead to a masterpiece. Glitter can become fairy dust. Toys all over the floor can be obstacles and lava pits to avoid! The most fun can be had when you don’t care if you get muddy and jump into that puddle feet first. Life is messy, don’t be afraid to get a little dirty.
With life comes questions, and more than anyone, kids know how to ask them. Their biggest question is simply “Why?”, and I think that’s one of the most unintentionally deep things a three-year-old has ever repeated to me until I just didn’t have the answer. We should keep asking questions. I think a lot of us stop asking why because we don’t want to appear dumb, but staying curious and asking why can open so many doors to new understanding and better appreciation.
Sometimes, though, you have to figure out when to stop answering a kid asking “why” because they just want to get a rise out of you. Sometimes you have to accept the fact that half of their peas eaten is better than no peas eaten at all. Sometimes wearing a Spiderman costume to bed instead of pajamas is worlds better than tears and no sleep. The kids have taught me that you need to choose your battles. Trust me, in babysitting and in life, picking the right battles is the key to success.
One of the battles might be against the monster under the bed or the shadows in the closet. Kids have wonderful and vivid imaginations, but their own minds can turn against time and stir up fears that take time and patience to quiet. But I’ve learned from kids that not only is it ok to be scared sometimes, it’s also ok to admit to being scared, and you can always ask for help.
I think, though, that the most important lesson the kids taught me is to find fun in everything. Life is full of new people, messy situations, puzzling questions, strategic battles, and scary circumstances, but you just have to find the fun and keep laughing you way through life. With my mini companions I think I can learn to do just that, and I can’t wait to see what they teach me next.
