lessons from toddlers? mmhmm.

well i guess since i'm no longer a new college student i have no reason not to update this thing. i don't know about Emily but no one read this anyway haha. but i'm going to type out some stuff anyways. i've been at northwestern for almost a semester now and that has been hmmmm interesting. i won't go into that right because i'd rather not throw a pity party for myself at the moment. what i really want to talk about is work. yep work. i work with toddlers ages 14 months to 2 1/2. this has been crazy fun because if you know anything about child development then you know that a 14 month old baby is very different from an almost 3 year old. the make up of my class is crazy! currently there are 11 children that i help care for and teach 2 times a week. first i want to talk about Mckenna, the 16 month old spitfire that has recently stole my heart. Mckenna is a screamer. oh yes. literally without exaggeration half of my time spent with her she is screaming. it's gotten better as she is now successfully spitting words out of her little mouth and finding out that i react better when she uses them. it's very exciting for me as i always return to my dorm from work with my ears ringing but hopefully this will only be happening for another month or so as she is well on track to being fully verbal woo! Mckenna gets a lot of care and attention from me personally, because i am a firm believer of giving constant consistent love to children i do this for Mckenna by holding and hugging her and sitting in the rocking chair with her after nap to snuggle as she wakes up, while some of the other teachers would prefer not picking her up so she learns independence. i don't buy into that so much, i think if a child asks for love she shouldn't be denied. another thing i get to provide Mckenna with is snack. actually i give aaalll 11 of them snack, at the same time, which has a lot of crazy stories that can be expanded on but i won't today. children love to be fed and i just happen to give the best meal, SNACK! as a result i am pretty well-liked haha. there is a point to this rambling i promise just bare with me a little longer i really like talking about my kids hah. Mckenna has recently brought something to my attention. i've been working with her for 2 months now, holding her, hugging her, dealing with her constant screaming, feeding her.... she's well-provided for.  The interesting thing is she still will doubt this by screaming with her tray is empty or ramming her head into my legs and wrapping her arms around me and crying until i am finished with what i am doing and can pick her up. this honestly gets crazy and loud and sometimes can test my patience. i often find myself thinking "child, wow, calm down, haven't i always met your needs in the past? what could possibly make you think that i'm not going to provide the care you need now?" which caused me to think how often we doubt God. like little Mckenna i will often find myself being dramatic and upset when i don't feel like i have everything i need right in front of me RIGHT NOW. That's absolutely insane when i look at all God has provided for me! No wonder we are referred as God's children because quite frankly my behavior often times models that of a child. God has given me the essentials and then some, i am blessed beyond belief. It up to me to trust that fact and move forward and bless others. so lessons from toddlers? yes definitely!