Lessons Learned from Little Ones

I’m currently at the airport enjoying an apple. Apples are my favorite snack!

I also had a ham and cheese sandwich with the little guys when I was babysitting earlier. We went on a nice outing to the park! Check out this poor bulldog who had to wait outside the gate while his family played.

As I mentioned before, I’ve spent a good part of my summer babysitting and I’ve really enjoyed trying to see things from the perspective of children because they are just beginning to discover the world.  The kids I babysit are 2, 3, and 4 so they are experiencing so many things for the first time; I think kids have a lot to teach us about life, so I thought I would share the lessons I’ve learned with you…

1. Get excited about the small things.

Kids notice everything and enthusiastically point out new objects they are able to identify; they are genuinely interested in stopping to examine the little details of life.  When I’m at the park and a fire truck goes by, all the kids literally drop everything they are doing and jump up and down and yell ‘FIRETRUCK’ as it passes.  They also laugh at the littlest things, which tends to put a smile on my face as well.

(I wish you could see their cute faces, but I did not get their mom’s permission to post identifiable pictures)

2. Appreciate nature

I’m also amused by how much kids marvel at animals.  I went to the aquarium last week and watched the same shark and sea turtle swim by the tank window for almost an hour.  At first, I felt antsy because I didn’t want to run out of time to see the other animals at the aquarium, but after a while I realized how peaceful it was to just stare into the tank.  Since entering the adult world, I have a tendency to feel like I always need to be doing something productive.  I need to learn to slow down and just appreciate the things around me.

 

3.  Savor your food

I usually sit down and eat lunch with the kids when I babysit and I have noticed that my sandwich will be gone before they’ve even made a dent in theirs; they chew every bite for a good minute and stop in between bites to make comments or just rest. I also think it’s funny when I give them a mini muffin or one of those two-bite brownies from whole foods and they somehow make it last forever by taking teeny tiny bites when I would have just popped the whole thing in my mouth!  Sometimes, one of my kids will even call me out, saying “How did you eat your treat so fast?” and  I am reminded that we all should be enjoying food at the pace of a 3-year-old.

4. Be proud of your body

Kids have an incredible amount of self-confidence.  The kids I babysit sometimes ask me if they can run around without their clothes on just because its more comfortable.  Perhaps we all should do this at home to boost our self-esteem?

5. Stay active!

Kids have so.much.energy! I definitely have a tendency to want to sit around when I’m tired, but being around kids reminds me that getting your body moving almost always wakes you up and makes you feel better.

6. Take pride in what you’ve accomplished

At the park, even digging the smallest hole in the sandbox or climbing successfully up a ladder is enough to send the kids running over to tell me what they’ve done. We all work hard, so rather than letting yourself feel overwhelmed by all you have to do, remember all that you’ve already done!

And that is why I’m going to miss the little guys when I head back to school in September:(

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Gotta go find my gate and Matt!  I’m not sure what my schedule will be like for the next two days, but I hope to be back this evening with a recap.  Have a terrific Tuesday!