Children are a gift from God. Children are precious sources of happiness and fulfillment. Children remind me of innocence and laughter, of silliness and play, of serious questions and thoughtful answers. This I Believe.
As a child I always had a baby doll in my arms, sometimes two or three or as many as I could carry. My goal, even as a child myself, was to be a mother. I had all the baby accessories: blankets, bottles, outfits, shoes, strollers, car seats (real ones, from when my brother was a baby)! I would pretend to go on trips to the store or take rides on an airplane and my play would not be complete without my “babies.” I would even beg my brother to play with me and he usually would because I was the big sister and he looked up to me, although his idea of fun was to be stuck on an island surrounded by sharks and jumping from the couch to the coffee table to escape! As I grew older, my babies were still around. I played with dolls long after my friends had moved on to things of greater importance. I was always more content with my babies than anything else and I was to find out it would always be that way.
In fifth grade I volunteered during recess to help with the special needs class. I would play games with the kids and read books to them, anything to become involved with children just a few years younger than me. I looked forward to visiting them and seeing them play and smile. Being with them was the highlight of my day. In middle school I began babysitting for my younger cousins once in a while and by high school I was known for babysitting and for my love of children. When I was 20 and in college, my cousin Sophia was born. I was so excited because now I had a real baby to care for! I would take her places and she would spend the night with me and I even stayed with her the summer she was born. It was a dream come true!
After a few years in college, I decided to get a part time job…guess what it was! I began working in a daycare and fell in love with the kids. I have been there for two years now and I love it! I am a teacher in the toddler room, which is probably my favorite stage of development. The kids are beginning to form their own identities and are starting to express their personalities. When I finish college, I will have a degree in elementary education, which is like a dream career for me. Children are a gift from God. Children are precious sources of happiness and fulfillment. Children remind me of innocence and laughter, of silliness and play, of serious questions and thoughtful answers. This I Believe.