Last summer, and hopefully this summer as well I will be spending my time working. Yeah, I'm sure it would be nice to go to the beach or spend my days out kayaking as I sometimes wish I could do. But I'm not that upset about the work I have to do. I spend my summers at a daycare center in my hometown. To some that may sound awful, but I love it there and I wouldn't have it any other way.
This daycare was the same one my mom worked at when I was in middle school. My sister and I would go there after we got out of school since we were still a bit too young to be left alone, and spend our afternoons with our mom and all the children at daycare. Since I was older and my sister was occupied spending time with her best friend whose mom also worked there, I got to go into whatever room my mom was in and spend time with the kids. Sometimes we would be with the infants and one-year-olds which was a treat.
I would hold the babies and rock them as they slept or make them giggle when they were awake. Sometimes she would be with the two-year-olds and I'd run around their toy cabinets playing hide and seek. It was always one of my favorite parts of the day. There are a lot of young children in my family since I was ten. I grew up helping out with babies and toddlers and I always had fun because the kids liked me. It has been amazing watching the kids in my family and the ones in daycare from when I was young growing up.
Fast forward a little bit. My mom had stopped working at the daycare center and I hadn't been there in years but I never forgot the place. I remembered all the kids I would spend time with and I missed them constantly. It was the final month or so of my freshman year here at Marshall when my mom called me to say the daycare center was hiring her back and they were in need of some summer help. Since I had been good with the kids before the owner thought I would like the position. She was absolutely correct. I had never been so excited in my life.
When I went back home I began to work. I was there from about seven in the morning until closing at 5. I won't lie and say it wasn't a stressful job because it was. The kids could be so bad sometimes and not listen to anything and I was working constantly so I barely ever got a break. But it was also really rewarding. I bonded with my kids and even now whenever I visit home I try to go and visit my kids. They're growing up so fast.
Working in childcare causes you to build a bond with the kids. You spend more time with them than their parents do in most cases. Those kids start to depend on you, they begin to love you like family and it is amazing. It may not seem like a large experience to some but these kids have made an impact on me. I care about them and want them to turn into bright young adults even though it will be sad to see them leave. In a few years, they won't specifically remember me and how we bonded when they were young, but I will never forget them. I love my job and I couldn't ask for a better way to send my summers.
