Working in a field with children is a very delicate situation. There is a lot of fun but at the same time it can be a very strenuous job which I believe is very underrated. Here are some things everyone who works with children can relate to.
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We get to play
Yes, we do play a lot but that is not all we do. The kids, especially where I work, are such creative inventors. They build, and use their imaginations to make things I couldn’t even imagine It’s hard to allow kids to play and yet keep them safe at the same time. I get mini heart attacks every time they climb, fall or even run. It’s stressful to think you have someone’s life in your hands. How effective you are at caring and implementing a structured-yet-not-so-structured play time will determine the safe hood.
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Exercise
I don’t need to go to the gym. I can achieve 10,000 steps just by running around chasing the kids. I can run, jump, stretch, dance, and lift the weights the little ones around me. We go for walks around campus, collecting things and sometimes I end up pulling them pulling them in a wagon.
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Bodily Fluids
Name a bodily fluid and chances are I’ve come into contact with it when working with children. Saliva, urine, poop, and vomit, you name it, I have dealt with it at work. For those of you out there who are nodding your heads saying “yes, this is the reason why I don’t deal with kids,” we’ve all been through the situation that these kids are going through right now, spreading germs or being covered in them. We have a had our accidents, and snot bombs all over a grown-up who took care of us. If grown-ups didn’t take care of kids, who would?
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First Steps to The Future
It’s not all fun and games; we do teach them some things. Where I work, some if not most of the Kindergarten bound children learn how to write and some even learn to read. Teaching manners and critical thinking at a young age is important. Once they are in a routine of doing something then it’s hard to have them break out of it.
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Honesty
If you ever need a completely honest opinion on something, just ask a kid. I cannot tell you the amount of times I have heard a kid express their opinion without any filler. They would do it out of nowhere. They would never lie UNLESS it’s to get their way. Their sheer excitement, discovery, wonder and bluntness will turn even the most unyielding of tasks into a smile and laughter.
6. Being Loved
Working with kids has made my heart grow 10 times bigger. The amount of times I would walk into work completely stressed, only to have my mood lifted by a simple hug, soothes my soul to a harmonic pattern. Somehow with children, they just have an intuition to just make you feel so much better. When this happens they always seem to show their cuteness to the max and make you feel better. You’re able to escape reality of your own personal lives just for a moment from their distraction. Being loved by a child is the best feeling in the world because it’s genuine and it’s not something they will lie about. At work, I get drawings and cards which makes my whole day better. Knowing you’ve made an impact and meant something to the children you work with will shine a bright light into your heart, as it has in mine.
I could go on a tangent about working with children and why, despite some of the hardships, it is completely worth it in the end. You may not make a lot of money doing Early Childhood education BUT it is a very rewarding experience. You will make tons of memories and honestly your stories will be very interesting to tell your friends. All of my friends know about my children because I talk about them ALL the time. It may be annoying. I wouldn’t trade working with kids for anything.