Monday, November 17, 2014

A Beneficial BSF Policy :: 10 of 31 Days of Blogging :: Care

Day 10 :: Care 
Care … I’m really not sure where to go with this prompt, so let’s see where writing obvious things takes me. 

I care about the kids at BSF.  It’s a bit amazing to me how quickly and how much I can start to care about them.  There is one little girl, C, who is very serious.  When my co-leader does something that is a bit goofy (like using a very dramatic voice) that would make other kids laugh, C looks at her like, “You are a grown up. You shouldn’t be acting that way.”  C is also a very clear talker for someone who is only about a year and half old.  She was very upset the first week she was at BSF, but close to the end, I realized that unlike the other kids, it actually made sense to ask her why she was crying and what she wanted.  If I could lean close enough to hear her over the other kids, she would say very clearly “goldfish crackers please.” 

BSF has a policy that we can’t work in a class if we have our own kids in that class.  I am starting to see why this is an excellent policy.  If I had a child in the class, I would feel guilty for caring equally about other kids and my focus would always be on how my child is doing.  I would be tempted to compare others’ behavior to my daughters and either to feel proud or dismayed about how they measured up.  Instead, with my kids busily engaged in another class, I can start to care about all these toddlers as unique people.  The little victories are rewarding, like a one of our younger girls finally feeling safe enough to get from the volunteer’s lap and start playing with the other kids. 

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