Babysitting comes with a lot of physical merits. Such as the fact that money isn't taken out for taxes, it's a job with the opportunity to be completely tailored to your own schedule, and you get to work (for the most part) with adorable children. But these aren't the only merits to a job dedicated to watching someone else's children.
There are also countless emotional and mental merits that come along with spending time with children, merits that you cannot find in many other jobs. I grew up with three siblings, two of whom were younger than me, so I am no stranger to spending time with young people or understanding how they work and why they do the things they do. However, the experience of spending time with kids is a completely new atmosphere after you have become an adult in society and learned both the goods and evils of this world. What makes babysitting so emotionally and mentally inspiring, as well as cathartic, is a child's lack of understanding of the evils in this world. Because of this ignorance, for a few hours during nearly each day of every week I am able to detach myself from negative thoughts and people and learn how to be a kid again.
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One of my favorite things to do with kids that I watch is draw. Today, for instance, I was watching a little boy who would not stop talking about the Jungle. He was describing to me all of the animals he knows to live in the jungle habitat, and was telling me what they did, what they eat, who they are friends with, etc. And while he was going on and on, I could not help having the same sensation in my mind as I do when I am reading a book-- mentally picturing the information that is being processed in my brain-- and I immediately knew that there would be no better way for the boy to show me his thoughts than putting them on paper.
We drew for at least an hour. In my case this resulted in a semi-impressive depiction of a typical Jungle scene. In the boy's case, this resulted in several pages of different colored scribbles not completely resembling a Jungle or the animals within it. But, after closer inspection, the images become clearer, and you can make out a fish here and there, or the outline of a snake. And when the tiny artist began explaining to me his thought process, such as how he drew the fishes in a pond separate from the shark so that they "wouldn't be able to hurt each other," I couldn't help but appreciate more the abilities of the imagination and the innocence of children.
Not only this, but the experience of drawing had calmed me and brought me closer to remembering what it's like to be a kid again: in a state with little to no worries and a complete sense of protection from this world we live in. Yes, as we get older it becomes harder and harder to find bliss in ignorance, and sometimes pain is more valuable than remaining happy through falsity. However, it is invaluable that adults, no matter their age, strive to find moments in life that bring them back to childhood. It will truly set your imagination free.
