Dedication

This blog is dedicated to all the children who need someone to listen when they speak.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

How to have a healthy heart!

A friend of mine let me share this and I tell you it warmed my heart. We all need to have a healthy heart and loving a little child is a great way to start! Free play at school today...one of my little people had the doctor kit and told me she had to check out my heart. After letting her listen I asked if my heart was okay. She smiled and said, 'Oh, yes, it loves me!' :) I love being with the perspective of four-year-olds!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Animal Lover

My granddaughter absolutely LOVES animals! When she was a preschooler she pretended to be a dog, cat, lion, horse, and you name it. She would sometimes not break "character" even during meals. It wasn't until my daughter was trying to pull her purse from the backseat of the car one afternoon that we realized she might have some identity issues. The purse seemed to be caught on something so she tried to pull harder. A little voice from the backseat said, "Hold on Mommy! It's caught on my hoof!"

Our First Customer

Springtime brings so many wonderful things and one that many people look forward to is the arrival of the hummingbirds. As the weather warms up it is so much fun to set up the feeders hoping to soon see those little beauties. A friend of mine had gotten her feeder ready with the help of her grandson. Soon he saw a pretty little hummingbird helping itself to the feeder. He called out to her, "Look! Our first customer!"

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Get a JOB!

I love children when they get a simple concept that some adults struggle with all their lives. One day a student told me he had a GREAT IDEA! He was bursting with excitement and had the children around him excited too. What was it?

"When I grow up I am going to get a job! That way when I want something or need something I can buy it!" He was SO excited and was bouncing in his seat! I cheered for him while pumping my fist in the air. Sound silly to you? It better not because we sure need more like him that will understand the concept of working. We just took a few minutes and celebrated his great idea of getting a job.

As we were finishing up another boy said, "I think I will get a job too!" So guess what? We celebrated all over again. With kids cheering and me pumping my fist in the air. Great idea I told them. You guys are so smart! Before it was over we had celebrated all the children sitting at that table getting a job when they grow up!

Power to the people!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Playing house isn't what it used to be.

One day while monitoring the Kindergarten students at lunch time I overheard a group talking about "playing house". I decided I better listen up to what exactly they were planning. Each one had a role to play; Daddy, Step-mom, daughter, son and Mom. When I asked what they would do here is how they described a family. Sad and, sometimes, oh so true.

The Daddy did all the cooking. (This did NOT sound true to life to me but they all nodded their heads and agreed!) The Step-mom was the boss. I was told that SHE tells everyone what to do. The children did all the normal things and did what the Step-mom said to do. When I asked what the Mom did one little guy told me, "She stays home and is sad." To which they all nodded their heads and looked sad.

Not really a funny story today but one that gives a picture of how children today view family and family relationships.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Now Me Be Able to Leave the House!

This is a great time of the year to catch some great bargains on clothes. I went to Old Navy and founds some t-shirts for my grandson. Since he is just four years old I didn't really expect him to get THAT excited but he was! He held them up and was showing them to his mom. I had told him they were summer shirts because it is still too cold to wear t-shirts. In his excitement he kept getting louder and louder telling her, "These are me tummer tirts, tummer tirts! Now me be able to leave the house!" Guess he thought he would have to stay inside all summer!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Africa's Big Bowl

Over the course of a few weeks a second-grade student and I had discussed Africa. We had covered many wonderful things but the issue of children being hungry had, of course, stuck in his mind. He had asked me many questions about it. I sponsor a child from World Vision so he had been extremely interested to know if she was hungry. You never really know what a child is picturing in their mind or how they are processing what you are teaching!

One morning he became very serious and told me he had been thinking about the four thousand people in Africa and how they were hungry. He said, "I just keep thinking about those 4,000 people and the big bowl they eat out of. How they eat and there is not enough and some kids go home hungry." He was gesturing with his hand how they would eat out of the bowl. He held his arms up to show me the big bowl. He was not joking and was acting very sad. I asked him who told him there were four thousand? He said, "I just made that part up."

I really wasn't sure where to go with my teaching on this subject. I explained there was not one big bowl and that the people sometimes just need help to get their food. This is why we sponsor children and pray for other countries. I have to wonder what other topics we discuss and learn about that he sees something very different in his mind~

Friday, January 27, 2012

Old Ant Farm????

Years ago my friend said her preschool daughter asked to sing the song about the ant farm. When she told her she didn't know that song her daughter was frustrated and said, "Yes, you do...you know, Lord take me back to that old ant farm." My friend realized she was singing part of song from church. The Old Landmark. The words say, "Lord, take me back to that old landmark."

While the rest of us were singing for God to take us back to the cross and to make a fresh start. My friend's young daughter was thinking we were all singing about going back to an ant farm. Only in the world of a child would this be possible and desirable!

Monday, January 23, 2012

It's so easy to be bad...

The work at a daycare can be challenging at times when you have little boys who are busy!!! One little fella was always doing things that he wasn't supposed to do. We tried several different things to keep him occupied but he always seemed to come up with a way to get into trouble. Truth be told, our daycare was not a good placement for him but at the time I didn't really know how to talk to a parent about things like that. SO every day was stressful for him.

We were outside on the playground after a very high tension morning and he was on a riding toy that was mounted to a large spring. It would sway back and forth as the children rode it. He was leaning back and forth as hard has he could! He said,"Miss Jill it is so HARD to be good and so easy to be bad!" Bless his heart. So true! Not just for him but for all of us at times!(By the way, he grew up into a very sweet young man and did very well in school but those early years were difficult for all of us!)

Monday, January 16, 2012

Do you have powdered sugar on your face?

As all mothers know, getting out of the house with everyone clean and ready can be a chore some days. I had both girls ready and went to brush my teeth. When I returned my preschooler had powdered sugar all over her face and was sitting in a chair at the kitchen table smiling sweetly. The donut box was sitting on the table and no powdered sugar was anywhere on the table. I asked her if she had eaten a donut and she said, "No, see my hands are clean." She held up her hands and showed me that they were spotless. I asked her again and she gave me the same answer adding that the table was clean also. Looking at that sweet little face covered in powdered sugar let me know that even the sweetest child can tell you what they want you to hear! I picked her up and took her to the bathroom where I held her up to look in the mirror. I didn't say a word. Smiling she turned to look in the mirror and saw where she had forgotten to wipe! Tears immediately began to fall as she said, "Don't pank me, don't pank me!" I have always wondered what the world would look like if all of our temptations would be covered with powdered sugar.

Speaking of listening...

How many of us tell our children something over and over expecting that sooner or later they will listen? Yeah, sure they will. On one day my daughter was playing in another room and I called to her to come and pick up some toys in the living room. No answer. The house was quiet and she was not six feet away in her bedroom. When I called again, a bit louder, telling her to "COME get your toys!" She replied in a VERY indignant voice, "I didn't hear you the first time!"

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Magical Snow~versus~Yucky Rain

Years ago my oldest daughter was looking out a window and watching the rain fall for yet another dreary day. Not only were her and her sister stuck in the house but they had been hoping for some snow. The rain kept falling and she sighed a heavy sigh. Leaning down on the windowsill she recited her own version of the little rhyme...Rain, Rain, go away come again another WAY!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

He hits me back!

Children's honesty and innocence is refreshing and revealing! When working with a little guy recently he told me about his bad day. It seems he had ran into another little boy and knocked him to the ground. Then he said the other little guy had "made a big deal about it!" He said the teacher told him to watch where he was going. That didn't go over very well because he felt he had done nothing wrong. "Everyone forgets to watch where they are going sometimes!"

Then he explained to me that he didn't like the other boy anyway. "Why not?" I asked. "Because he hits me back!" How revealing. We all laugh at this little remark but aren't we all like that at times in our lives. We knock someone down with our words, then they "make a big deal about it", we don't apologize, they comment back to us and others and then we are angry because "He (or she) hit us back!"

When I asked him if he had said he was sorry his beautiful brown eyes got big and he told me no. I said maybe next time he should just say sorry. Hopefully I will remember to take my own advice in the future.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Just like an elephant's tail!

Year's ago while working at a local preschool/daycare I had one little guy who absolutely LOVED animals. He knew more about animals as a preschooler than most of us will ever know. So it is in this context that I relate this story!

I wear my hair in a braid that hangs down my back most days and on this particular day he was sitting beside me outside on a bench during playtime. He had been discussing animals with me and all of the sudden turned to look at me with a big smile on his face. He reached up and touched my braid and said, "I just love your hair. It looks just like an elephant's tail." I told him thank you and just took that compliment in the spirit in which it was given!

Friday, January 6, 2012

Yes, Him can!

Getting my grandson to bed can be a challenge to say the least. But one night we were finally cuddled up and he was ready for his story. I told him about God creating the world. "Did Him make this house?" he asked. I told him no but God did create people and people built the house. "Him make all the people?" Yes, I told him. With a voice filled with wonder he said, "Line them up. I can't count them." No we can't count them but God can I told him. In a sleepy and satistified voice he said, "Yes, Him can." With that he fell asleep. I guess if God made us all and He can count us all then maybe we should just relax and let Him take care of the world while we sleep.

Aunt Sisters?

My granddaughter had been interested in Native Americans for awhile. Every Sunday on the way to church we would have a BIG discussion of our ancestors, some of which were Native Americans. I had explained to her how our ancestors help make us who we are now. Our heritage is important and we should honor family. She asked me several questions one morning and I had grown weary of answering them so my mind had went into autopilot with my comments back to her. My brain jerked back to our conversation when she asked the question! "Mamaw, how are they our Aunt Sisters?"