To work with children is to study yourself.
3 simple tenets of working with children, or why I'm good at what I do
1. Every day you must seek a way to start fresh. To be the most useful to any child, you must let go of who you are. You must be a clean slate, a sounding board, a magnifying glass to hold up to the world. If you didn't sleep last night, too bad. If you aren't getting paid enough, too bad. If you got in a fight with a loved one, too bad. Your job requires that you let it go. A child's ideas and choices should not be weighted by a grown-up's problems or concerns.
2. Take note of your weaknesses, and keep them in check. Children aren't going to listen when you tell them to sit down. They aren't going to walk fast enough to keep up with everyone. They aren't going to say please when they want something. Some children will sense the one thing that bothers you most, and they will do that one thing over and over and over.... (Rebels are rebels long before they reach their teens.) They are learning what they can get away with. It isn't personal, they are just testing the boundaries of the world.
3. Define your insecurities, because they cannot be avoided. All of your insecurities will be drawn out. Again it is not personal, and it is probably not a deliberate attack. If a child tells you your butt is big, it is not to be insulting. It is merely an observation. And it is probably true, so learn to live with it. (If you want the truth, just ask a child.)
*****
Sometimes I feel like I'm watching a movie of my own life as I'm living it. It fascinates me, and I am entertained.
3 simple tenets of working with children, or why I'm good at what I do
1. Every day you must seek a way to start fresh. To be the most useful to any child, you must let go of who you are. You must be a clean slate, a sounding board, a magnifying glass to hold up to the world. If you didn't sleep last night, too bad. If you aren't getting paid enough, too bad. If you got in a fight with a loved one, too bad. Your job requires that you let it go. A child's ideas and choices should not be weighted by a grown-up's problems or concerns.
2. Take note of your weaknesses, and keep them in check. Children aren't going to listen when you tell them to sit down. They aren't going to walk fast enough to keep up with everyone. They aren't going to say please when they want something. Some children will sense the one thing that bothers you most, and they will do that one thing over and over and over.... (Rebels are rebels long before they reach their teens.) They are learning what they can get away with. It isn't personal, they are just testing the boundaries of the world.
3. Define your insecurities, because they cannot be avoided. All of your insecurities will be drawn out. Again it is not personal, and it is probably not a deliberate attack. If a child tells you your butt is big, it is not to be insulting. It is merely an observation. And it is probably true, so learn to live with it. (If you want the truth, just ask a child.)
*****
Sometimes I feel like I'm watching a movie of my own life as I'm living it. It fascinates me, and I am entertained.
VIEW 20 of 20 COMMENTS
anarchie:
Thanks for the sweet comment on my set! It really made my day 
driana:
How's it going? I'm glad you're content with your job, so many people in this world aren't.