This week, I started a job at a daycare. While normally I would be an assistant teacher, this week I was a substitute in several classrooms. Here are some life lessons I learned in my time with small humans (under four years).

It's OK to cry.

We all have pain and upsets, and it's okay to let them out. Just don't cry loudly about everything all of the time. Some things you have to let go and move on with your day.

Everyone needs a nap.

Both cranky attitudes and drowsiness are cured. A midday nap will make everything better.

Age does not matter as long as you are being a good friend.

I was playing with PlayDoh with one of the three year olds. We had this conversation:

"Ms. Emily, how old are you?"

"Nineteen."

"Are you still a teenager?"

"That's a good question."

And she continued on playing. As long as you genuinely care and talk with them, then it doesn't matter your age.

Bodily functions and habits don't matter.

We all have to pee, so go ahead. Wet yourself? It happens. Wiping your nose on your shirt? Go ahead. Rolling around the floor only wearing a dress? It's cool. We're all just people here.

Children do not care about your tattoos.

I have a visible tattoo that they see every day, and none of the kids have said anything about it. Yet they notice the lip color I have on in my ID picture or the logo on my T-shirt. It's not as big of a deal as people make it out to be.

Gender doesn't matter.

I was playing catch with a 3-year-old when she briefly stopped the game to ask me this:

Kid: "Him or her?"

Me: "Me?"

Kid: "Yeah."

Me: "Her"

Kid: "OK"

Doesn't matter as long as you're nice and play well with each other. She accepted that information and moved on. The kids grab one another's hand and run off onto the playground. Why does it have to be more complicated than that?

A smile and a wave goes far.

A lot of the toddler classrooms always have a kid plastered against the door trying to see who is milling around the building. The cherubic grin you receive after giving a smile and a wave will make your day.

You have to be an adult.

If a kid gets pegged in the face with a ball, they can cry and scream in pain. The second you get pegged in the face, you have to breathe through the pain. Every time your foot gets stepped on by little feet, it has to be okay. If you're cranky, you can't lash out and throw things. Every time kids sit on your knees until your legs go numb, you have to be okay. It'll hurt a bit to you, but you'll be Superman to them.

Kids are annoying.

One minute, they're cuddly and share stuffed animals, the next minute they screaming at you. But they are also beautiful angels who will grow up to be cool adults. So raise them well. It is worth your time and effort to be a part of their lives and grow them. They are the next generation and you are there to lead them.

There are infinite lessons to be learned from children. These alone I have learned in only five short days. I have a whole summer ahead of me to learn life lessons from them and I can't wait!