I love children.
It’s why I chose never to have them. I KNOW I am not full time capable of being responsible for those precious little lives.
They are so beautiful. I love them right around 2 yrs to about 6 yrs. So curious, learning everything, asking you about everything.
I remember my lil’ ‘niece’ I was babysitting in Alberta. I taught her about riding the bus. I don’t drive. So, if we went out when I was taking care of her? We walked up to the corner and took the bus. Also? She wanted to look pretty. She was such a princess. We did our hair together, she chose her clothes and we made sure she had make-up before going out (lip gloss and me pretending to put mascara on her)! My rascal. She’s the one girl who made me almost regret my ‘permanent’ solution to birth control.
Today? I got to spend time with children. A friend’s grand-kids are visiting.
What beautiful little children. When I came up to say hi? They remembered meeting me that last time they visited (months ago) and that I have a cat. They asked if I would bring my kitten to visit. They were so sweet I said, “Yes.” Who could resist?
They were so good and gentle. Sami hasn’t been around kids AND there were dogs around but, those kids were amazing with her. Slow and gentle they asked before they picked her up. They could see she was afraid of some of the unknown stuff going on so they asked if we could take her away from the road into the yard area.
Then? We sat in a circle. The youngest boy crawled in my lap, the oldest boy had Sami in his and the other two girls colored the mandalas I brought them with some pencil crayons I no longer had room for. I even have a picture drawn of me from the oldest girl as a keepsake 🙂
They took turns telling me their names and how old they are and about their own pets. They recently lost a kitty who ran away while camping. The boy holding Sami had tears when he was telling me. Libby was his kitty. And it was very recent. He really loved being able to hold Sami.
They range from 3 to 7 years old. They oldest had a speech impediment that meant I had to pay extra attention but I did my best. The youngest (2 or 3 yrs) spoke practically full sentences with a complex vocabulary. But, fast, and still with a child’s tongue so I had to pay close attention to keep up with him as well. The girl’s were easier. They coloured and pet the cat and chatted occasionally.
They were polite. They all thanked me for the coloring book and pencil crayons and promised to share them. They waited without interrupting each other to talk to me. I can’t even manage that in my own conversations.
Afterwards? I got my sidewalk chalk and we drew pictures and wrote messages for grandpa all over his porch! I measured them all with their names written on one of the porch beams. I left them the chalk. They all said thank you!
When I left I got hugs all around.
I feel full of that good, innocent, child energy right now. I really miss spending time with children. What a beautiful day!
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