Working with kids has certainly become a learning experience. I never thought that by working with kids that I would be the one learning something, but I did and here are a few of the things that I have learned:

1. I am not having kids any time soon.

Working with kids is the best kind of birth control there is, without a doubt. A bunch of loud, mean kids do not exactly make me excited to have my own quite so soon.

2. Kids do not see race.

Kids do not see each other as white or black, as Asian or Indian. They see one another equally and they do not discriminate. Their minds are so open to new ideas, at least for now. They will play with whoever they choose to play with, no matter the color of their skin or where they are from, and I think our world right now could learn a lot from them.

3. Making friends is easy.

It is not difficult to make friends, not as a child or as an adult. You simply have to put yourself out there and talk to new people. Kids are not afraid of going up to a new person and asking if they want to play a game or be friends, and it should be that easy for us, too.

4. Being active is important.

We give the kids so much time to play and run off their energy, but we ourselves are often so lazy when it comes to being active. The kids are happy to be moving around and they are fit. We should feel the same about being able to be active and do something productive, we could really learn a lot from that.

5. You have to try new things.

Though sometimes the kids that I work with are not so quick to try new things, they eventually give in and will do it. Whether it be a new game or a new food, they do not fear the unknown. They jump into it with an eagerness to learn and to grow, and that is inspiring.

6. Asking for help does not make you weak.

Kids are not afraid to ask for help when they do not understand something around them. They ask an adult or another kid around them and they accept the help and support. Too often as we grow up, we feel the need to decline any offered support and at times it comes back to bite us in the butt. There is no shame in needing help, nor is there shame in accepting it.

7. There is truly such thing as unconditional love.

Perhaps because of their open-mindedness or perhaps it is just how all kids are, but they demonstrate such unconditional love for all of those around them. When you smile or wave at a child they are so quick to smile and wave back. There may be no other reason for them to smile, only because you are there, but it certainly shows the abundance of love they have within them. Surely this love does not just disappear as we grow older, it has to still be there. We can all learn to smile and wave at others around us and to simply make the world a better place.