Starting in High school of my Junior year and ending my Senior year, I joined a class called EYC; also known as Educating Young Children. Being around nearly 30 children was definitely overwhelming and harder than I thought it would be. Now I also work in child care. They are truthful, wild, curious, and a hundred other things but below I will explain only a few.
1. Telling the truth doesn't always make things worse
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Kids don't have a filter when they're talking, nor do they know what they should or shouldn't say out loud. As an adult, we're constantly wondering if something will upset someone, but kids are coming out and asking "What's in your teeth?" (thanks kid, you were a lifesaver that day). They're also very good at explaining how they feel. They enjoy telling me if they're happy or how their day went. On the other hand, they also tell you if they are mad or don't like you. If only adults did this then we will save a lot of time talking to people we shouldn't be talking to.
2. It doesn't hurt to be curious about everything
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I think everyone by now knows how many questions kids have about even the smallest of things. They want to know why the moon is following their car (I'm guilty of this when I was little), why the color of the sky is blue, why I have to clean the tables and chairs at the end of the day (asked this every single day by the same girl at work). Honestly, the questions are endless. Sometimes they're hilarious and you can't help but laugh at when you retell the story, sometimes they're deep and they really make you think. I was once asked, "Why is the sun called the sun?" When I find out on google I'll let you know, kid. In a world like the one we live in now, maybe we should be asking more questions...
3. The smallest compliments will make someone smile
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Kids aren't always annoyingly curious or embarrassingly truthful. Sometimes they notice things and comment on something that nobody else noticed. Being so observational, they might notice a new haircut right away, or the perfume that you're wearing, sometimes a cute outfit you have on. I don't know if it's just me, but these days I notice that someone won't really comment on something unless I point it out first or if they knew I was going to change something about myself in the first place. If you notice something different about someone, say something about it... maybe they've been waiting for someone to finally notice.
4. Bury the adult side and bring out the childish side.
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When I go to work, I honestly love sitting around with the kids and playing board games or playing with the Lego's. Of course, working with kids has its stressful moments but I find myself truly enjoying my job. Constantly thinking about my next paycheck, if gas prices are going to decrease if I want to spend extra money on Guac... it's good to let go of all of that and tap into your inner child. It's harder to do if you don't really have a reason to do it, but simply choosing to eat that sugary cereal you remember so well from your childhood instead of a banana is enough.
5. Maybe kids themselves aren't teaching me this, but I have learned to have extreme patience just by being around them.
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It's not a secret that it takes a lot of self-control and patience to have a child, let alone simply working with them for four hours a day. Kids have an endless amount of energy it seems, and their tantrums are like nothing else. It's incredibly easy to get angry, but now a few months into working at my newest job, I can handle it. Everything seems much easier after spending half of my day around them. (naps also come far much easier now as well)
Like I said, working or being around children is easily not for everyone but I can admit that I've learned some amazing things by spending my time with them. These days I have so much respect for teachers who spent almost 8 HOURS with these little rugrats.
