Day Care Grind

Today is kind of a neat day. I started working at the same daycare as my sister back in August, six months ago today to be exact. I've said for a while now that I don't want kids, but I think that I would be a really fun aunt. That is still true, I think, but I also know that I'm a different person compared to who I was when I started. Working with two-year-olds is exhausting, both mentally and physically, confusing at times, but also surprisingly rewarding.

Back to the no kids thing. I've always found babies absolutely irresistible but once they start talking back, I'm out. My childhood is also not something that I feel another child should have the possibility of experiencing, hence not wanting to bring my own offspring into this world. There's a lot of psychological stuff there that I won't go into, but it boils down to the fact that I believe there are people out there that are meant to and should raise children; I am not entirely convinced that I am one of them.

Regardless, I took the job because I was fresh out of college and  had (spoiler alert: still don't) no idea what I wanted to do and I heard that it paid well. I didn't know what I expected that first week, but believe you me when I say the human body is not meant to carry litters for a reason! People, taking care of 8 unpottytrained humans at the same time is  terrifying. Especially when your only background in childcare is a few babysitting jobs interspersed within a 10 year period. Let's just say that the first month I was tiredddd. I never remember having that much energy. Several times within those first few months I thought to myself, "Dunkin Donuts right by my house is hiring. If I walked out right now I bet I could go get a job there instead!"

But then there were the good times. Like when I was cleaning up the room for the sixth time that day and hear one of the little girls standing in front of the calendar singing the days of the week song  when earlier that day she had not participated in cirlcle time so I didn't think she knew it. Or when one of them randomly comes up to me and says, "I love you, Ms. Chloe" and my heart melts against my will. Or like when I walk into the room in the morning and then all excitedly come greet me. Or when they get excited when I sit on the floor because it means that they can sit on my lap. Or when they just be themselves and have such open hearts and minds to trust and love my broken self because children are a gift and they see the good in you even when you can't.

Even though there have been some before and there will definitely be more after, here's a pic of my current groups of crazy nuggets. {No child was harmed in the making of this photo. Promises}