Little Knight Out

On a certain Friday night. I went on a little date with a little knight. I picked him up after work. We shared a “Happy Meal” and let our inner child out by playing in a magical place of plastic. He impressed me with his agility by climbing up a course, strength by swinging on poles and critical thinking as he figured out how to operate a magical keyboard. From there we went over to my friends house and my little knight saved the day by helping me wash my car. Soaking the whole thing and managed to get soaked as well. Yet he didn’t stop there the evening could not be complete if he were the only one soaked so he shared the wealth with me and my friend.  He was super sweet the whole evening holding my hand and with a mighty effort tried to open the door for me, showing me that indeed chivalry is not dead; just in practice. We drove off into the sunset and I got him home just a little past his curfew.

Taking the time to have one on one time with my nephew was a blast and very worth it. I need to do this more and with my other nephews. It helps me get to know just him and how he interact with me by himself without his brothers. So here is a challenge to you and me: find a child to have an adventure with weather its a princess in a castle or a knight showing off his might. You just might have some fun too!

Words Fail...Hug!

Through my time teaching there is one little girl that I have worked with through many different interactions. She has developmental challenges, she was born with. The details of which I don't know. I simply understood that she needed extra help. I and the other teachers that worked with her had to help her constantly with the most basic of instructions, sit, stand, be still and so on. Working with her was a lot of hard work and patience on everyone's part, not excluding the dancer’s work as well. She would wander off in the middle of just about anything we would be doing in class in her own little world. The best way to bring her back to what the class was doing would be to allow her to complete what ever task she had in mind to do. For example touching a spot on the wall or floor. Once complete she would willingly follow you back to the class. I tried to always be loving and patient with her and help her learn what she could. After that year of working with her she moved on to other classes. Now and then I would sub for her class and then one year I taught the class before her’s. Every time I saw her she would get so excited to see me she would wave her arms around and make happy noises with a large bright smile on her face. I would give her a hug. In fact it became one of her missions to give me a hug almost each week before she would participate in her own class.  There was so much love in those hugs, the best way she knew how to communicate. Whenever I see her and she recognizes me I get one of those hugs. They make my day and I look forward to them.

She seemed to learn a little more dance after teaching her that first year and I am sure the other teachers could say the same in the following years. She learned to love to dance which in the end is one gift I truly wish to give any child willing to receive it no matter how good they become. However I feel as though I have learn and been given more from her. That being able to see her example of love and goodness to another soul and being a recipient of it.

Blue Eyes to Hold the World

This summer my nephews took swimming lessons, the two older boys had lessons at the same time and their Mom need to be with the one year old.  Leaving me to watch the baby for the half hour the lesson took.  During these times it may have appeared that I was having a one sided conversation with a baby, my youngest nephew.  If I was lucky I could get a chooo out of him, most of the time however it was simply his big eyes taking in as much of the world around him as he could manage.  This seems to be the truth of many infants. They don’t have much to say or rather they can’t say anything but if they did, oh the things they could teach us. They see and listen to all around them. His big blue eyes trying to see it all not satisfied with laying down in one spot but having me walk around holding him upright for the purpose of better seeing. Learning all he could through his eyes. If only I could see what it was that he was seeing then I too could hold the whole world in my eyes.

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!