There are two ways to climb the staircase of life. You can either push the other person down, and thereby come out on top. Or you can actually climb to the next step and succeed on your own to come out on top.
Some children feel they have to put others down in order to feel good about themselves. I see many times when children are jealous of each other, for one getting a prize and not the other, the child will say "well I don't care, I don't like it anyways". Trying to make themselves feel good about not getting the prize, as if the prize is nothing to them. Thereby, lessoning the enjoyment of the child who actually did get the prize. Then there are those children that will actually feel happy for the other child. These types are adorable, they act like little adults cheering the other on.
When there is a contest going on, the "Pushers"- the ones who push other kids down to make themselves higher- will report those children that were cheating, thereby showing their innocence and making themselves look good. However, the "climbers"- the ones who will climb up to the next step to come out on top- will put in the most effort they can to win the contest.
The way a person is in childhood, whether they are a "pusher" or "climber" stays with them into adulthood. There are those that always feel they have to correct others to show their smarter than them, or put down and criticize others to feel good about themselves. Then there are those that accomplish good things on their own.
Most accidents happen unintentionally. Nobody wants to purposefully fall off a building, drown, or get into a car accident, (unless their suicidal). Children are the same way. However, some times I feel like their putting themselves in danger that they can avoid.
When the kid I babysit is running down the block and I tell her not to run cause then she will fall. She will say, but I won't fall. So then I say of course you don't want to fall, but no body falls on purpose, its an accident, and by running you may fall. But of course she doesn't understand this concept yet. So when she did run, and fell and her knee started bleeding, she was crying and made me carry her. I carried her to the house, and the whole time I felt like saying, I told you so, but I didn't.
One time the kids wanted an apple, and they like it peeled, so I took out the peeler to peel it. Then one kid said she wanted to peel her fruit, I told her its dangerous and she may hurt herself. But the same thing happened, she said she will be carefull and won't hurt herself. I let her peel it, she was doing a good job. The mother came home then, and she hadn't got hurt, I was relieved. But then a few minutes later after the mother saw she was peeling the apple, and let her peel it, then the peeler slipped and she cut her finger.
Again, the same thing, no one plans to get hurt, everyone says "I won't get hurt". But if you put yourself in danger, and there's a chance of getting hurt, then its no longer an accident. It could be called on purpose, because you did it knowing you might get hurt.
If you ever watch a child throughout an entire day its amazing how much germs they come in contact with and put in their mouth. Its surprising it doesn't harm them. Most children, when they come home from playing outside, they never wash their hands. Unless their mother trained them real well. Most children, will just go straight to eating their snack or food.
The kids I babysit for have this rule in their house, that as soon as they come home they have to go to the bathroom and then wash up. They also take off their socks or tights so that they shouldn't slip on the floor. Everyone has different rules when it comes to this. Most people I know of where their shoes till they go to bed. Some will change to slippers. But people always have something on their feet. I think I once heard that your not supposed to go around the house without shoes cause then its like your mourning.
When I was in shul, even though I wasn't babysitting anyone, I still notice these children and watch out for them. I've seen a lot of kids lick metal chairs. Now that must have a lot of germs on it. Yet the mothers see the kids doing this and they don't stop them, so I figure its a normal thing. One kid was moving a chair, and she had her hand between two chairs, it looked like she was going to smash her hand, that it will get caught between the 2 chairs, so I tapped the mother, and showed her what her kid was doing. Then she said Thanx, but not to worry, her daughter always gets her hand stuck in things, she closed the door on it a few times.
Anyways, when I think of germs, I think of it as bad, that I would want to avoid it at all times. I keep a hand sanitizer on me all the time, encase I want to eat something, or if I'm coming off the city bus. Imagine how many germs come from there, its like a factory of germs. People sneeze, wipe their nose on their hands and then hold the bars, its just gross.
Then I was thinking about it. I realized it might not be so bad for these children to come into contact with germs. Think of a playgroup, all the kids sharing the same toys. Germs for them can be good, because then they can become immune to it. In order for germs not to harm them when their older, they first need a dose of it when their younger.
Its so sad on purim day for such a thing to happen. A child was crossing the street when a car went in reverse very fast and hit him. The glass came out of the car, and the 14 year old child was hurt really bad. The Hatzolah's came right away. The amubulance, fire truck, and police car came about 10 minutes later. They cleaned up the broken class and hosed down the blood.
I feel really bad for the family. It brings tears to my eyes to think about it. I hope the child gets better and has a refuah shelaima.
I'm asking everyone, whoever reads this to please say Tehillim for him. His name is Binyomin Shimon Ben Yehudis Leah.
Sometimes I feel like the kids I babysit are my little "Mommy" that their taking care of me, rather than me taking care of them. Its amazing how much kids notice and understand. This one kid especially takes notice of everything. When I came one day wearing new clothes, she said "You look so cute, I never saw you wear that". Its funny to hear it coming out of a 6 year old, when I'm usually the one telling the kids that.
The kids always look out for me. Whenever they are eating something, they offer me. They ask me to eat supper with them, I usually decline. Two times I actually ate supper with the family, but it felt weird as if I was intruding on their family time.
Anyways, two days ago, one kid offered me some alef-beis shaped pretzels that she was eating. I told her I can't eat anything cause I hurt my mouth. So that settled that for then. Then yesterday the mother had supper for the kids and then she asked me if I wanted and I said no thanx. Then a kid chimes in and said "She can't eat because she has a boo boo in her mouth". I was surprised the kid remembered from the day before. The mother thought the kid was making up a story because I hadn't said anything about it to her. *
Kids are just like little angels sometimes, the perfect helper. Sometimes I even depend on the kids. It makes it such a help to babysit a family with kids old enough to help. When I babysit by a new place I usually don't know where anything is or how the house runs, and I would ask the kid where things are, or if their allowed to do certain things, and they usually answer truthfully.
I actually never knew how to make a bottle till I started babysitting. The parents assumed I knew how, and I was left with a container of formula powder and a bottle. I had no clue what to do with that. The 4 year old taught me how to make a bottle. Since then whenever I go to their house I always make the bottle for the kids.
Ends up being I went to the dentist today and got a wisdom tooth pulled out. The dentist had to give me 8 shots so that it wouldn't hurt. In the beginning when he touched my mouth in the area that it hurt I was crying. Then at the end when it was over he said he was sorry for making me cry and he asked me if I'm still his friend, I nodded my head yea. I canceled 3 babysitting jobs for today!
Yesterday while I was waiting by the school bus stop I saw a mother pass by with a Swiss Strolli Rider I'm not sure if this is the same one, but the general concept is the same. This is a great idea for a stroller. You get to have the baby in the stroller and the 2 or 3 year old can "ride his bike" but yet you don't have to worry about him going in the street and keeping an eye on him. There's always that 2 or 3 year old that wants to go in the stroller too, and is too lazy to walk. So here's the perfect solution. They could sit on a bike which makes them feel more grown up. This "bike" could clip on to any stroller. The bike is also a little to the side of the stroller, so it doesn't get in the way of the mother pushing it.
I love kids, and I always have. I also love helping people. Whenever I took those career tests, it always said I should be a nurse or something like that.
When I was younger, about 9 or 10 I thought about becoming a O.T. or P.T. This way my job would revolve around children. Then when I was about 11 or 12 I thought about becoming a psychologist, because I used to listen to Dr. Joy Brown on the radio, and sometimes I came up with the same answers as her, and sometimes I thought I knew better solutions. But it amazed me to be able to help people in that way. Then to be a school psychologist would be the best, cause then I'd be able to help children because I felt I understood then so much. I would always take the side of the children.
When I was in High School, I started thinking more seriously about what kind of job I would want. There were a few problems with the ones I thought of when I was younger.
One thing is I'm afraid of special people, so I wasn't sure I would be able to be a good therapist. Now by saying this I don't mean to put them down or anything. Special people are great, therefore their called "special".
I have this one family, where I feel like its my second home. I love the kids, and when I babysit there, I don't feel like I'm babysitting, I feel like their my siblings. Anyways I used to go there very often on shabbos to play with the kids, and on yom tovim. There was just one problem, they had an aunt who was special and she would come with the grandparents to their house on Succos and Pesach. So whenever she would come to their house, I wouldn't go there. I've tried a few times over coming this fear and going there anyways, I haven't been 100% successful yet.
When I was in 8th grade, a new Hasc house opened up on my block, and different fathers would take turns making kiddush there. One week my father went, I was seriously thinking about going with him into the house. But I wasn't brave enough yet. So I didn't go. Then as the years went by, I got familiar with the ladies there, I would see them often, one of them I used to wave to every morning when I went to school, and it would make her so happy. Then recently I actually went into the house cause friends of mine were volunteering there, so I got to speak to them. I didn't feel an ounce of fear while I was there.
Anyways, today I saw this man who didn't look a 100%, he was jogging into the street when cars were still coming. Then he went behind some cars like he was hiding. The only logical reason I could think for doing such a thing, would be if there was a dog. So I looked around for a dog, I didn't see any. Meanwhile he had this funny expression on his face. Someone like that freaks me out.
Now back to the reasons why I didn't choose to be a therapist or a school psychologist. So one is because I would be afraid of the special children. But then another reason is I was thinking about the future. I was afraid that if I have a job that deals with children all the time it could tire me out and I won't have patience for my own children. I didn't want something like that to happen, so I figured a job where you work in an office or with your brain would be easier than a physically tiring job.
There are two ways to climb the staircase of life. You can either push the other person down, and thereby come out on top. Or you can actually climb to the next step and succeed on your own to come out on top.
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