I've previously talked about my love and admiration for kids. (You can check out that article here!) However, for those that are new to my content, I will reiterate. I LOVE CHILDREN! They speak their minds, they laugh at everything, their fearless and SO CUTE!
For the past six years, I have spent my summers as a summer camp counselor. August 5th was our last day of camp. As I said goodbye to my campers, some new, some returning, I realized this summer was similar to my previous years as a summer camp counselor. I learned a lot from my campers. Here are a few lessons I learned from my campers this summer.
1. Wear whatever the heck you want, whenever you want
Every morning, I was greeted by masses of children in tutus, miss-matched shoes, pajamas and stained pants. While the staff had a uniform to wear, campers would come in in whatever attire they felt comfortable in. One of my favorite campers would come in to camp wearing pink, only pink. Oh, and lipstick to match. From chats with her caretaker who came to drop her off in the morning, we could tell that she was a tenacious child. She refused to wear anything that made her uncomfortable.
2. Don't be a meanie-butt
To start, the word 'meanie-butt' isn't mine. It was a phrase constantly used to describe those that would make others feel comfortable, sad or otherwise bad. My campers would momentarily ostracize those that made others feel bad. The 'meanie-butt' was then required to apologize to everyone in order to be accepted again. So,don't be a meanie-butt, or else you won't have any friends.
3. Laugh at everything
Be silly, be joyous whenever you can. My campers were constantly making little jokes and references. They found happiness in arbitrary noises and movements, they made jokes out of everything. While some may found this annoying, it was wonderful to see such joy!
4. Question everything
OK, I know this can be annoying. I'm sure some of you are picturing the kid in the back of the car asking, "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" While the questions can be annoying or tedious for those that have to answer them, asking questions helps us learn. If you don't know, ask.
5. Emotions are okay
This is the most important lesson I learned all summer. As an adult, we sometimes forget that children are people. We deem them aloof and childish, which then causes us to dismiss their emotions and feelings. But children express almost everything that they are feeling. They will tell you when they are scared or excited, happy or exhausted, sassy or angry. They aren't afraid to express those emotions and neither should we.
6. Ask for help
Sometimes we don't have the answer, that's ok. Instead of suffering in silence, building anger or resentment, ask for help. Find others that have no idea what they're doing and figure out a solution. If you don't know something, chances are someone does.
While I may be one of those people that just really enjoys everything children have to offer (I am!) I also think that children have a lot to offer the world. We have so much to learn from them!
