Mishap’s Creation

On this particular day I was working as a teacher's assistant, when you have a class of 13 or 14 students the ages of 3 or 4 years, you need another pair of hands. On this day was proof of this, if not a more extreme example.  As normal it started out as a normal day. There was a little boy in this class, running around with great speed when he suddenly crashed into a little girl. Whenever there is a crash there is a moment where both we teachers hold our breath to see what the outcome will be so we could react appropriately and not make it worse by worrying the children involved. In this case there was blood and quite a bit of it! Knowing my role and that all those little girls would not react well to the blood.  I scooped this little boy up into my arms, taking him to the restroom. The injury was not bad just a bloody nose, with a lot of blood. I cleaned him up and calmed him down hugging and comforting him. His mother was off for a quick trip to get chores done without her child. I was greatly blessed to have this chance to comfort him and he taught me well how to comfort him. I am grateful to be able to comfort a child in need and thereby receive his or her love back in return. After that day this little boy and I had a special bond.  There are times in every ones lives when something we really rather not happen takes place and out of it comes great blessings. 

One BIG Mommy Moment

A couple years back I was asked to be a Nanny for a weeklong period of time. The parents were going to go on a trip. The children were all old enough to be as school so I was able to work or get things done during the school day. I was with the children when they were out of school. I did everything from sleeping there; driving them around to their various activities, to helping them get their homework done. Any and all of those little jobs that are encompassed in the being a parent category I fulfilled. For a week I worked with them, played with them, comforted them and encouraged them. It was fun to load up all the children and take them to their activities and then pick them up and hear about all the goings ons of that particular activity. There were adventures to be found when I would make their meals and I would not do it the way they thought I should and or surprise them with my different ideas, I introduced to them. There was a time when the son forgot his homework at home and he called me up and I brought it to him, followed by his gratitude. There were many other events that took place that if I had written them down sooner I would remember them better. However what I walked away with after that week, with these children, was most precious. I drove home that Saturday and the following days there was a definite hole in my life. I missed them! Of course there were things I didn’t miss that are not so glamorous when working with children day in and day out. Yet, those are shadows and really only made the sweet things even sweeter. I developed a love for those children and they for me. Of course they were glad to see their parents after the week but even to this day when I see one of them around their eyes light up and a smile warms their face, followed by my heart. They no longer need me they are old high school students and beyond at this point but they shared with me their family and their love this I will always remember the time they shared with me their home!

Just a Quick Trip!?

I was going to have my two nephews for the evening I however also had a  activity that I  had a small role to play in, so I agree to watch the boys if I could take them with me, and then their parents would pick the boys up at the activity when they were done.  So all I need to do now was get the boys in the car with their car seats, print something off at the library and then get to the activity.  Easy right!? Well once I got each car seat in the car with the appropriate child in each car seat I knew I was pushing my time. Now to the library. We got there and I was tempted to just run in side. (Not that I would ever actually leave them in the car it was just a temptation.)  Besides I knew they would have fun looking at the displays and helping me print so in we went all three of us.  We got in and printed my papers off and then back to the car. I was getting quite tired. Children take a lot of energy. I did get to the activity we were making t-shirts with colored t-shirts and bleach. I got there with the boys and they were loved and played with and they had a great time. This is a Mommy Moment for me as many of you can understand that simple tasks simply are not that simple with children. They are dear boys and we have many fun times together this was just my first attempt at living my life as it were with children.  I made the t-shirt with the words “I (Heart) MY Nephews”  so now everytime I wear it I think of this fun adventure we had together.

No One Listening

I was coming home from a five day vacation. I left early in the morning so to have plenty of time to get home and get ready for the two ballet classes of the day. Even after leaving with plenty of time life happened and it was becoming very apparent that I would not have the luxury of taking my time let alone stop by my apartment, to get what I wanted for the days classes. I would need to just head straight to the studio! I made it with ten minutes before class I was able to get into my dance stuff luckily, because I had left it in the car over the weekend so all was not lost. I however was exhausted and still working on the stress affects that had been working on my body when my dancers arrived.

My first class of the day was my youngest ballet class and most of the girls in the class where young enough that this was their first experience with structured classes out of the home. So we spend most of our time just following the most basic of instructions stand still and listen to teacher. They would run everywhere, look through windows, hang on the ballet bar and at the same time their mouths would be running just as fast if not faster! They could not hear me so basically cause chaos. I was at a lost I got upset and became stern yet this helped little and possibly made it worse. I sent quick and silent imploring prays to my Father in Heaven. In the following moments the thought came to me stop and listen to them. I pushed it aside I was not going to stop class and reward their 'bad' behavior, by listening to what they were saying when they were supposed to be silent. Yet the thought persisted and so I call them all over and gave each girl two turns to share. I listened to them and asked them each a few questions. I was worried about the waste of time. However this proved to be very valuable! They slowly through the remainder of the class followed direction and thereby learned more.

It was not until I was pondering on this situation much later that I learned the lesson I probably should have seen much sooner.  I wanted them to listen to me so I could help them become better, so we could do more things together instead of me always having to repeat myself etc. I was so intent of not wasting the mothers’ money and the lack of where an average classes should be at this time that I stopped listening to them out of frustration. Becoming more stern was not the answer but to be still and listen. I was expecting them to do something that I was not even willing to do for them. No wonder I was getting no where.  I could blame my reaction on my stressful trip to dance or my exhaustion, which to be fair is part of the truth they other was I simply needed to listen and take the time to validate them to respect and show them love.  How powerful a simple act of listening is!

Boy in the Library

This past year I was able to help out in an older boy’s dance  classes. I got to know the boys pretty well and even helped with warm-ups and a few other things for their classes. During the summer there is not so much dance and time to do more things. I headed to the library to sign up for the adult summer reading program like I do every year and browse through the used books that they would be selling, at this time. As I was on one of the computers they had provided for the purpose of signing up for the for this program I hear a voice calling, “Miss Camilla”. I turn around and there stand a boy from one of my dance classes about age 10 or 11. He starts telling me about the books he is reading and giving me recommendations!  What was said is not the important thing it was the fact that this boy on his own free will recognized me and made the effort to show forth kindness. A kindness that he gave of his own free will. I enjoy seeing my student out and about out of the classroom but it is normally me that approaches them in this case he approached me and I thank him for it, it made my whole day and beyond.

How simple it is to bring cheer into another’s life! This boy effected me so much I feel to share it. Let us all do a little better and taking a Moment for kindness, who knows how it will affect someone.  

The Walk of a Hundred Rests

I was watching my nephews for the evening it was a warm summer day so I thought a walk and a special trip to Deseret Industries (DI), thrift store, would be a fun destination as it was only a few blocks away.  I had some spare change and thought it would be a fun treat for them to pick something out that they could play with when at Aunty’s house.  Being in the stage of life that I am in I do not own a stroller I thought we would be fine it’s not that far. Luckily I only had two nephews at the time if I had three I would not have tried the venture.  We started out on our adventure this warm summer evening. Which quickly turned into a hot summer evening. I did however have the foresight to know it was not going to be a quick trip. So I had planned plenty of time. We headed out youngest nephew on my shoulders the older holding my hand. I wanted the boys to be the leaders to some degree and we stopped and looked and talked about whatever they saw. As well as stopped off under almost every tree, to rest in its shade. We would sit in the grass and play for a while and then pick up and keep going. We did make it to DI and they both pick out a toy. So they would have something to play with when they were at my place. These toys made the walk back even longer but I truly gained more evidence to the truthfulness of the statement, “It’s not the destination that matters its the journey!”  I had such a good time with them. It is so nice to take the time to slow down and see the world from a child’s eye.

Think...Think...Think...!

As I have been teaching over the years in all my different dance classes I have  had much influence in my teaching style and technique coming from other teachers that I work with as well as the children, themselves.  A natural development also takes place when teaching as you discover ways that you can say things that the children can relate to better. Building on itself like rolling a snowball through the snow. I am sure the principle is much their same with parenting with a higher learning curve because you are teaching all of the time not just a few times a week. A teacher that I look up too would always tell her dancers to think like Winnie the Pooh, this was a way for the children to stop moving and think about what they were going to do next or solve a problem etc. Well this inspired me I went to the original Winnie the Pooh stories and was surprised to discover what I learned. Winnie the Pooh would come upon crazy problems of his own making or others and he would stop and think about it till he came up with a solution. The solution he came up with were not normally very good and would even lead him to worse problems yet it was this that furthered my resolve to adopt this practice of having my dancers stop and think.  Children and even us adults try our best to solve our problems but we too do not come up with the best solutions. The point is that we are trying and learning from those problems and solutions that we are coming up with.

I start with my first day of classes of a given year, with talking of Winnie the Pooh and then try to find problem for my dancers to stop and think about. For example when I first have the children go into the dancing space, they almost always without fail clump together in one area of the floor so before we move forward I stop them and inform the class that we have a problem, quickly following that statement with the question, “Are problems bad?” and then answer my own question, “No!”  I explain to the children that we don’t want any lonely dance floor that way everyone will have enough space to dance. So I have them think about how they can solve this problem that I have given them. Sitting on the floor they tap a finger to their temple and say “Think, think, think.” In the same manner that Winnie the Pooh does. After a few seconds I have them tell me what they came up with. The answers I get are always entertaining and as the year progresses become more profound.

Going through the weeks I find the time to have them do this and look at the problem that by the end of the year when I ask, “Are problems bad? They quickly answer NO! I love watching a children learn and grow and become a problem solver. When they do I feel I have had a moment in which I enriched their life like a mommy would.