I’ve been working with kids since I was about 12 years old. I started by trekking door to door to the houses in my neighborhood to offer my babysitting services, and then I eventually moved to camps and daycare. I’m eternally grateful for the one or two houses that opened the door and entrusted a meek sixth grader to watch their children because it also opened the door to a passion for working with kids, and to many extremely valuable life lessons. I know it definitely isn’t everyone’s thing—kids can be a lot. So, I’m going to share three of the many lessons these tiny humans have taught me to save you the trouble.
- Enjoy the little things. All of the little, tiny things.
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Kids, especially little ones, look at things in life with sheer amazement and joy. The toddler classroom at the daycare was faced towards the street. All we had to do was say one word, “truck,” and they would all flock to the window, standing tip-toed on the heater to get a better view and stare in astonishment as a big white truck sped by. I try to apply a similar excitement and sense of joy to my everyday moments, like my steaming cup of coffee in the morning or the sight of gentle snowfall. It’s a reminder of how much magic truly is embedded in each day if we open ourselves up to it.
- Always be curious and ask questions.
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Have you ever talked with a preschooler? I would argue that the most used word in preschool lingo is “why?” One of my first days working at the daycare, I was reading a book to a preschooler before nap time. Every page I turned, he’d ask “why?” I guess he just really wanted to know why the caterpillar in The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle was so damn hungry! Point being, they are not afraid to be curious and ask questions—from inquiries about hungry caterpillars to deep questions about the world. As adults, we often let fear hold us back from asking questions for the fear of sounding silly or hearing no. But in reality, never knowing is worse than the momentary discomfort of asking. I’m working on that one for sure.
- Feel. Your. Feelings. And then carry on!
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This is a big one. I’m always astonished by the range of emotions these tiny humans experience within the span of a day—or even an hour. One minute, it’s a meltdown over there being no cookies left in their lunchbox, and the next they’re giggling away and playing like it never happened. While childrens meltdowns are a lot to deal with in the moment, in hindsight it offers a really powerful lesson that I think we can all benefit from: feel what you need, and then let it go. Life is too short to spend the whole day feeling angry about there being no cookies left in your lunchbox. Be angry, be sad, be what you need, and then carry on. Feel joy wholeheartedly, but also don’t be afraid to feel pain whole heartedly.
One of the most valuable lessons that I’ve realized overall, is to look at and experience the world through the eyes of a child. Bask in the amazement of a single flower, cry when you feel upset, jump for joy when you realize you have ice cream in the house. That childlike wonder and view of the world is still within us, and there is so much joy and freedom to be had in unleashing it.