Normally, people are more than happy to leave work to go back to school... (Aren't they?) For me, it makes me so upset. I love the children I work with. I love the connection I have made with them and their parents in the 10 months that I have been there. Even though about four to five of those months were spent in school, I always drove back down to visit the kids at my job.
After finding my passion for working with children through the ages of infancy to three years old, it breaks my heart that I have to leave them. All of this summer I have worked basically open to close every. single. day. Don't get me wrong, the more hours the more money. But I loved spending my days at the daycare. You learn a lot about a child by the way they act to certain situations or when you just get to talk to them. I have been told I have a motherly side that I show to the children and parents love it. Although I am told I sound mean to my children, I do not 100% agree with that. What I hear is being assertive and projecting my voice when I want children to figure things out themselves. I cannot always run, skip, and jump to their every need and break up every argument a child may have with one another. I may be loud a lot of the time, but I care so much for my children at work. Especially one little girl.
Let's bring it back to Halloween of 2016. It was my first day of my new job. I was placed in Toddler One, which is a classroom divided by a half wall in the middle with Infant One's classroom. When introducing myself to the Infant One teachers, I saw an incredibly adorable little girl, Reagan. She was just shy of four months old. I fell in love with her eyes and that cute baby smile of hers. Every time I saw her she made me so happy, heck, she still does. I got to know her and watch her grow until January when I had to leave for my new school. When I had went to visit the kids after only being away for a few weeks, I cried when I got to hold Reagan. I had missed her so much. Her happiness and goofiness had such an impact on me that I felt so lost without it. Fast forward to May 2017. Reagan is 11 months old, on the move, and babbling whatever she can! I was so proud of her. I almost cried again because of how much she had progressed while I was gone, but I kept my cool. After being at work for about three months, Reagan moved up into Toddler One (Which is no longer my classroom), and she's growing like I cannot believe. It is so incredible getting to watch children go from just learning to crawl to running. Although she is not my child, I love her like she's my own. This past Thursday was my last time seeing Reagan for a bit since I was going back to college. I had written a card for her and her parents and it took me a good 10 minutes to say good-bye for a bit once again. As soon as her and her dad had turned the corner to grab her stuff, I started crying like the emotional loser I am. Although Reagan is not as attached to me as she was before I had left for school in January, seeing her open her arms and run to me for hugs always made my day. Knowing I won't get to see her everyday now for a bit breaks my heart.
Never would I have ever thought I would be so attached to a child. Although she'll most likely not remember me when she's older, watching her grow into the amazing little toddler she is today makes me so proud of her; I hate that I have to miss watching her grow more.
This just goes to show that you never know who will have an impact on your life, even if it is an infant.
