I cannot believe the summer is ending. I feel as if I was just leaving school and my junior year behind. The past three months, however, flew by because I really enjoyed myself. I had an internship two days a week – which don't get me wrong... I really liked – but it was the nannying the other three days that really gave me purpose.
It started out as a job because, let's be honest, I really needed the money. It turned out to be more than I could have ever imagined. The three kids I started nannying at the end of May were completely different than the kids I left at the end of August. I watched two twins, a girl and a boy, who are seven and then their little sister who is four. The twins were reserved at first and did not really like trying new things. By the end of the summer, they were both going off the diving board by themselves, attempting to ride two-wheelers and conquering other fears that they had. Their younger sister, a bit of a free spirit, learned important lessons about sharing, waiting her turn and and following directions.
The kids coming out of their shells and learning life lessons was not even the best part of our time together. The best part, for me, was how these kids, strangers to me at first, could carve out such a special place in my heart in a short amount of time. As I walked to my car on the last day, the twin girl called out, "Don't you dare get in that car!" How is that for tugging at your heartstrings?! I'm not a very emotional person, but that made me tear up. We had such a great summer filled with adventures to museums, pools, parks and zoos. Slowly I got to know each kid and felt as if they were my own. So as I pulled away, I was not just sad to leave them, but all the great memories we shared.
I'm going to miss being greeted at the door every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30am as if I were a celebrity. I'm going to miss screaming Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop The Feeling" at the top of our lungs in the car and hearing "can you play the cowboy song?" in reference to Jon Pardi's "Head Over Boots." I'm going to miss them asking to go to the pool every day, no matter the weather or the temperature outside. But most of all, I'm going to miss being a constant presence in their lives.
Sometimes they got on my nerves but I sure did love those kids. What a gift it was to have their admiration and love. I thank God for bringing them into my life and only wish I could take them to school with me.
