Learning from little guys

I realize I haven't written in a while but I've definitely had things on my mind. The reason I haven't written is that I have been exhausted. Completely drained physically and mentally. Even dead week and finals week seem appealing compared to this. I have also been keeping very busy, which I suppose doesn't help with the tiredness, but oh well. And when I have had the opportunity to write, I just plain didn't want to. Very strange, that. I almost always want to write. But what I have been meaning to write about is directly related to my job, and I have come to a point where I am ready not to have my job anymore. There have been plenty of days in the past four years where I woke up and thought, Ugh, I don't want to go to work today, but not wanting my job is completely new, and frankly, I don't like it. I love my job. Really, I do. But the class I've had this summer has worn me so thin that I can't stand it any more. Our three oldest are all boys, and each of them is worth about three whole kids in the amount of energy it takes to keep up with them. And by kids I mean two-year-olds. And they don't call 'em the Terrible Twos for nothing. So, yeah... I haven't even wanted to think about work, much less write what I'm about to write. 'Cause I'm stubborn like that.

About a week or two after deciding I needed to write this, I went to dinner with a friend. I can't tell you exactly when that was, but it was probably at least two weeks ago... but don't hold me to that because I honestly don't remember. Anyway, the point is that we went to a Chinese buffet, so naturally there were fortune cookies involved. I don't put a whole lot of stock into fortune cookies because they're nothing more than mass produced phrases that are left intentionally vague so the reader can interpret it in a way that will make it apply to their own life. However, of all the fortunes I have received—and trust me, there have been lots—I do believe two really were meant for me. Of those two, one is the one I received that night with my friend.*

An important word of advice may come from a child.

That, my friends, is precisely what has been on my mind for the past month. I can only conclude that this particular fortune cookie was psychic. Okay not really, but still. I had been digging my heels in against writing this, and then the fortune cookie more or less reached out and slapped me across the face with a cold trout.

My class has kept me in a perpetual state of stress all summer long, wreaking havoc on my mind and body. It's all I can do sometimes not to grab one of them by the shoulders and yell STOP IT! But despite all of that, I honestly believe that toddlers are some of the best people on Earth. Why? Because I think they know what it really is to live life to the fullest, and they love with everything that is in them.

First, a bit on living life to the fullest. In my mind, you don't have to travel to far away places or take on extraordinary tasks like scaling gigantic mountains or jumping out of airplanes to live life to the fullest. I think living life to the fullest requires nothing more than doing what makes you happy, and doing so all the time. As we get older, we develop filters and reservations—or at least most of us do. We learn that society will judge us based on our appearances and our actions. Toddlers are completely unaware of that.

A toddler will never stop to consider their actions. They won't think, “I'm not the most coordinated of the bunch, so maybe I should just sit back and watch the others dance.” It would never cross their mind that they might be thought weird if they get down on their hands and knees and go in circles, scrubbing the top of their head on the floor. When you have the dress-up clothes out, a boy will wear the fluffy tutu and flowered hat if he darn well pleases, regardless of our society's gender guidelines. They do what makes them happy, plain and simple. I don't know about you, but I wish I had that sort of confidence and inhibition. And just as toddlers don't worry about being judged, they won't judge you. It doesn't matter to them if you have a terrible singing voice or if you're having a bad hair day or if your clothes don't fit just right. All they expect of you is your attention and affection. Give them that and they'll be your best friend.

And that brings us to love. The older kids in my class right now can be and generally are very ornery, and a couple of them can be downright mean and hateful at times. However, I have seen our orneriest boy stop screaming mid-tantrum to console a classmate who lost her footing and fell off the window seat.** This little guy, like any and every toddler I've ever met, can be incredibly sweet and tender when he puts his mind to it. When a classmate is upset, it's not at all uncommon for him to gently pat them on the back or wrap his arms around them, and if they're really upset, he'll even kiss them on the shoulder as he hugs them. This compassion is not something toddlers reserve for each other; they offer this love to anyone that takes the time to get to know them. (I supply the qualifier only because at this age, many are also stricken with a major case of Stranger Danger.) If adults cared for everyone the way toddlers do, I think the world would be a much better place.

No matter how much they make me feel like pulling out my hair, I have a lot of respect for toddlers. They're pretty great people, and I could definitely learn a lesson or two from them.

* If you were wondering, the other fortune cookie told me that I have a wonderful way with words and should write a letter to someone.

** Just in case anyone is concerned, the window seat in our classroom is not high enough to pose an actual safety risk, but it is high enough to scare the little ones if they fall. Nothing that can't be taken care of with a hug though!