06.01.10
Kids are the Future
“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.”
I think Whitney Houston said it best when she said that the children are the future. While I find this statement to be quite obvious and cliché, it is constantly running through my mind as I sit in St. Rita’s Day Care each day.
Every morning I make my ridiculous, yet convenient, commute to work by walking down one flight of stairs. In my travels there could be multiple thoughts racing through my head. I could be thinking about last night’s shenanigans with my community, the frustration I felt yesterday during afterschool when no one would sit down and do their homework, or how much I miss my family. Right before I open the door I take a breath and say to myself…”today is a new day.”
I gently push open the door to the bubble gum pink room and suddenly my spirits are lifted and all of the stresses from yesterday drift away. I am usually greeted with a hug and a sleepy yet hopeful “Hola!” I change the calendar and wait for the rest of the rug rats to arrive. Soon the room will be filled with the smiles and laughter of the little ones. When this kids finally arrive we play, have circle time, eat, and then I take the older children into the computer room. This has been my routine for the past nine months and surprisingly it has not gotten old or boring.
I have always known that I love children and that I was “good” with them, but in all honesty, I had never had to work with them so closely or for such an extended period of time. It was a little unnerving to me that I would be spending most of my AV year hanging out with children 22 years younger than me. Worried that I would not be what these children wanted or needed, I soon found out that the kids at St. Rita’s Day Care were exactly what I needed.
I have grown to not only appreciate these children, but to love them. I jokingly say that they are some of my best friends. I have come to rely on their smiles and laughter to get me through my day and to me that is a friend. I have been able to watch them grow and flourish and I have been present for so many milestones in their lives. I have witnessed them learning how to walk, talk, share, and even learn some English words. I have even been able to see some of my idiosyncrasies they have picked up. Through working with the children I have been able to see the love of God and the beauty still in this world.
Reflecting on the past 9 months it is difficult to say what my single greatest joy at St. Rita’s Day Care was. I can, however, say that there are 30 or so children who have been the joys of my life this year. They have reminded me that there is love in the smallest acts and that a simple smile is all it takes to brighten someone’s day. I think that I was placed in St. Rita’s Day Care so that I could once again appreciate the little things in the world. There have been a lot of people who work with children that who have said that they learned more from their children than what their children learned from them. In my case, I can report that in Day Care we learn from each other, child and adult alike. They have reminded me of what is truly important, like love, generosity, sharing, forgiveness etc. Each and every one of them has touched my life and my heart and I will remember those little faces for years and years to come.
….If they are our future, I am excited to see what we have in store….
Alli Lua
Bronx, NY