Differences Between Children

            I love today! I am sitting inside while it is cold and snowy outside. It is my first time in 8 years that the place I have worked as shut down early (aka at noon) so we could go home. I am not kidding about that either. It was a nice feeling that I have missed for years. I didn't have to worry about driving on the roads in the mess or staying overnight either. I could just come home and enjoy myself.
          Anyways, that is not what this entry is going to be about. If it was it would be kind of boring. I thought about it but then I thought that I should write something else and just put it in like I just did. Now onto the topic that the title says. I know I also need a better title but I couldn't come up with one. I have been in the childcare system for about 10 years, give or take a year. I have mainly would with preschool age and under as my main jobs during and after college. While in high school, I was a TA and I babysat a lot as a side job to make money. As I have been transferring over from school aged children back to toddlers/preschoolers, I have realized that I have a love for the school aged children. Now I knew that way back when but I didn't know why like I do now.
        After spending a year and a half with that age of children after I have spent years with preschool and under, I see the differences and I like the differences. Now I can't really pick which age I like the best because they all have their ups and downs but I will say at this moment in my life, I really miss my school aged kids. I am happy to be back with my toddlers and infants but the problem with them is that they can't talk much or really feel much and if they do both of those things, they really don't know how to express it like the school age children. I mean as am adult you kind of expect things from a toddlers like hugs and other things that make you feel good. What you don't expect from that age is their physical, like crawling and walking and talking, and knowledge things, like knowing colors, numbers, and letters, so that is what makes you happy and glad for them or at least that is what makes me happy for them.
          Those things are all great and special moments in their lives too don't get me wrong but if you know me personally, you know I am more of and for the emotional type of things, which that matches the school age children. They know their emotions most of the time and they come to you when they need up if they know that they can trust you. They come to you for random hugs some days and other days it is because they really need that hug or kind of touch. School aged children see and understand when they can trust an adult. They know what trust is. You can form deeper meanings/relationships with them because they are capable of that and most of them what that. I know this is strange that I am writing about this now but after going from one age to the other I see it now. It is kind of sad that we can't give the school age children what they truly need while they are at school anymore because of the world we live in these days.
             We can get in trouble with anything and everything these days. I think it is funny how God has been working in my life lately. I mean for a year and a half He has put with with a group of children that I have grown to love and hope the best for in their years to come. He has even change schools at the start of this year for a reason too that I never thought was possible. Then He pulled me back out because He knew I couldn't do what I was suppose within the school limits. Now I do what to say again that I hope this doesn't sound strange and it won't if you know me at all. I have a heart that connects with some of the children better then some of the others and that is what I am talking about. I want to see those children that I connect with outside of school. I want to be a part of their lives more then just in school and I think God saw that in two of the children that He had me around.
             God knows I love those hugs and to hear their laugh every so often and see their energy outside of school because children are so different in every place they go. God knows that I really want to be there for them when the times get tough. I'm not saying their parents won't be. They have amazing and loving parents. There's no doubts about that but as we are know because we have done the same things growing up. We can't go to our parents for everything even when we know we can. There is just that connection that you get with a special teacher or someone at your church or even in your expanded family that you can tell anything to and I want to be that person.
           I know I went off on a rant here in a way but to bring it back around here is the idea of this whole entry. There comes a time in everyone's life that they need someone special other then their parents to talk to or be with and I just want to be that person. That is why I love the school aged children so much more then the toddlers. You can build that relationship with them and they will remember you hopefully forever. Where toddlers and infants, don't have that memory focus set in their brains yet because they are learning so many other things. Although, one of my preschool girls did remember from 5 years ago but I had to ask if she did. It all comes back to God knows what He is doing, I just have to Trust Him while He is doing those things.