Childcare is not an easy path but it very rewarding. Here is a list of 10 lessons my co-workers and I have learned over time.

1. "The obvious is not always so obvious."

Let's face it, we all have those, "Duh!" moments. Yet while working with children, sometimes those moments kind of feel like days. "No Johnny you cannot fly and if you do jump off of that slide, then you will not soar like that bird."

2. "Patience is a virtue."

I know this seems like a given, but trust me when I tell you it’s a lot easier said than done. When a child tests your authority again and again, you come to learn patience is a habit you must work for.

3. "Never a dull moment."

Whether it is a dance party at 4 p.m. on a Tuesday or a bug walk on Thursday morning, there is never a moment everyone is sitting around.This also in part goes hand in hand with a perk of working with children. Free entertainment.

4. "Expect the unexpected."

The phrase, "Eyes in the back of your head," takes on a whole knew meaning. Working in childcare has seriously will heighten all of your senses. More times than not, I can tell what just happened without even looking I could hear the crash and the giggle or worse...the lack of any sound at all (then they are really up to something).

5. "Practice what you preach."

One of the harder lessons I have learned. If you want Sally to eat her peas at lunch and you don’t touch yours, then trust me, she will take note. Monkey see monkey do, by exhibiting good behaviors and mannerisms they will pick up in them and display them themselves. Hopefully only the good ones .

6. "You are going to say things you never thought you would have to say."

To explain what I mean, here are just a few things my co-workers and I find ourselves saying.

"Please don’t put your hand down your diaper."

"Please don’t mush that cheese cube into your eyeball."

"Please use your words not roars; you are not in fact a dinosaur."

7. "Never underestimate the power of a child's smile."

It all happens so fast; you look down and see them grabbing your legs with all their might and hold and tight as their little bodies let them and look up at you with one of those big cheesy grins and it's all OK. Never underestimate the innocence and honest love of a child that at that moments appears as a simple yet powerful, smile.

8. "Think before you act."

This is hard but necessary. I promise if you fly off the handle and make a rash decision and they see it, then they will exhibit that behavior sometime later and you will realize just how powerful your actions are and the position of influence you hold. Always try your best to be the best version of yourself you can be for them.

9. "The student can become the teacher."

Children have a way of teaching us how to love one another and be blind to disabilities, differences and even at times, race. They can show compassion so genuine that you can't help but shed a tear. Children, in most cases, are so pure and oblivious to the prejudices of the world; it's a beautiful thing..

10. "Never, under any circumstance, turn down a hug from a child."

If you're having a rough day and you think you don’t need a hug, then you do. Nothing wipes away the stress of a day than kneeling down and having two little arms squeeze your problems away for a bit. In turn, you never know the last time that child got hugged and maybe you are the one person they know can be that safe haven for them.

Special thanks to my co-workers. You rock.