Children are Learning

        Today was a blessed day for me at work. It was just so neat to see all the children getting along and having blast in their own little way. No complaining or fights. It was a big blessing since I wasn't feeling so great at all either. There were a lot of littles moments that caught my eye but I am proud of one of my little girls.
         Most of the morning they would be playing with legos or the leap pads that we have. The younger children would be playing with the trains. They kept busy by themselves for once and it was neat just to watch them play. They were a bit whiney again near nap time but they were also up pretty early this morning. We painted shamrocks with apples and the two oldest children built a big house with legos. It was just a really calm morning but there is one of my big girl that I was really proud of this morning.
           This little girl needs or wants a lot of attention and she will throw her fit if she doesn't get it but today she got it because she asked nicely for it. She wanted to play a cookie jar game that we had and on the leap pad by herself so I told her she could sit in the dining room while she played it and the other staff and me just watched her while we were doing other things. She was really good compare to the other days this week. I was so proud of her that I got her a little gift at the end of my shift and it made her smile.
           It was a little Hello Kitty note holder that could be colored and she went ahead and colored it. I told her before nap time though while we were playing in the gym that she had been very good for us this morning and that I was proud of her. If she kept it up maybe she could get a little something. She was coloring Hello Kitty with the other staff and the other staff told me that she said "I like my gift. This is fun coloring it". The other staff asked, "why?" and the little girl said in her own words, "It is fun getting things but mostly importantly I had a lot more fun playing here today because I listened." All it took was her to listen or ask.
          I think she learned that and it is always neat to see an older kid get the idea of "life". That is the most important lesson you can learn about life. It can be fun but even us grown ups have to listen too all the time especially if we are following God. I also rocked her for a little bit at nap time as a reward for listening and told her that too. It was like she totally turned around this morning and she was a pretty neat girl when she wasn't so demanding or throwing her little fits.
           It is always neat to see how far a child can come in just the time that we have them where I work. It is stories like these that make me stay longer because it shows me that I have and can make a different in a child's life. I also noticed today that she did want picked up some and a hug here and there and you just have to give it even to the bigger children sometime because everyone needs a hug and to be held here and there. As a grown up, I still like to get hugs from my friends and parents on a bad day or during a bad situation. It lifts me up big time.
           I was worried about starting the whole reward for being good thing with this little girl and another girl but I think and hope it works. I don't fully agree on giving things because they are good but they have to learn to control themselves somehow and then maybe it can be taken away from them later without even thinking about it. Get them into the groove of being good and then maybe they will be good just because. We might not see it while they are with us but at least we started the whole thing in "training" them to control themselves.
           If we have tried everything but this one thing, then why not try it and see what good it does, right? It is not like I bragged her the first time she got it. She got it because she was being good without knowing she would get something and I also gave her verbal praise before giving her the toy. Way before giving it to her so she knew I noticed it way before. I did kept reminding her through that "you are having a good day so far, let's not mess it up now" and that seemed to work too.
          Little moments like these are what makes my job worth wild. Seeing the change that God can make in these children's hearts are amazing.