Working with kids is not for everybody, because it is so demanding and you never get a break. But those of us brave enough to spend our days teaching and looking after children know that the sacrifice we make is worth it. By spending so much time with children, you get the opportunity to understand their perspective on life and love, and because of this, you can approach many different things in life with a better outlook. Here are nine things that everyone who’s ever worked with a child has learned.
1. Patience
I’m pretty sure this one is self-explanatory.
2. To Love Without Conditions
Children give things without expecting anything in return, and they love freely. If you spend enough time with kids, you pick up on it and it becomes infectious.
3. Forgiveness
Kids cry and get upset a dozen times a day, easily. But they also forgive and get over things just as quickly. To them, anything that has been broken can be made whole again, and that is something we are deeply lacking in doing. As adults, we hold grudges, which will ultimately hurt us; it is far better to learn how to forgive and forget.
4. Discipline
I don’t mean the children when I say this. Being surrounded by children for hours at a time will certainly teach you self-control. No matter how chaotic the circumstances get, you must be able to keep it together.
5. To Always Say What’s on Your Mind
Children seldom think before they speak. They simply say the first thing that pops into their heads. In other words, they are brutally honest. I think everyone can learn how to be a little bit more honest no matter what other people will think.
6. Pay Attention to Details
Kids latch on and pay close attention to even the smallest things, things that we as adults often take for granted. Pay attention to what children are so happy about and grateful for; you’ll be surprised and have a newfound appreciation for the little things around you.
7. How to Dream Big
No dream is too big in the eyes of a child. They truly believe in themselves and the idea that they can one day become president or an astronaut. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. Children help teach us that we can go as far as our minds take us.
8. Imagination
There is so much information out there in the world, but hardly enough inspiration. Knowledge and information are limited, but imagination embraces the entire world; it's limitless.
9. Creativity
When working with kids, you will come to realize that what works for one will not work for all. You've got to stay on your toes and come up with interesting new ways to relate to all the kids.
Sometimes I wonder, am I teaching them, or are they the ones teaching me?
