Why I Like Kids

Okay, real post.

It hit me the other day that I'm getting paid to be a stay-at-home mom (this summer especially, since I'm with the kiddos pretty much all day) and I LIKE IT.  Ah!  I mean, I guess if I could read theology books and YA books and write a little on the side, I'd be okay with this career move?  Also, if my hypothetical future kids are anywhere as awesome as Anju and Ketan.

This is what I like about hanging with kids all the time:

1)  They make me think harder.  They're always asking why, and I freaking love that game.  I will come up with a new and unique answer if it kills me!  Only twice in a whole year have I resorted to saying, "Because I said so."  Heh heh.  Take that, kids, I can totally outlast you.  But I'm losing the point.  I like having to think through all those steps, but I also like those teachable moments (mostly because the kids are teachable).  Today Ketan said Anju was mean, and she got upset.

Anju:  He said I'm mean!
Me:  Were you being mean?
Anju:  NO.  I was being nice, but--
Me:  Then it doesn't matter.
Anju:  What?  But I was being nice.
Me:  I know.  So if you know you were being nice, then what does it matter what Ketan thinks?  It's like that episode of Fruits Basket we just watched, right?  Haru thinks he's a fool because the cow carried the rat, and he freaks out on Yuki when he first meets him.  And Yuki just says, "Well, are you a fool?" and Haru realizes he's not, so he stops being angry.
Anju:  Oh, you're right.  Okay.

HAHAHAH.  I get to use story analysis to teach a ridiculous lesson, and she got it.  Best.

2)  They love doing annoying things.  Anju wanted to go to Whole Foods with me, and she insisted on carrying the basket, and picking out the peaches, and putting them in the scale.  Boring stuff!  But seeing how excited she was about it made me want to carry the stupid basket. 

3)  There aren't walls.  Kids all the time do and say exactly what they feel.  Sometimes this is annoying, like when Anju says, "You have a pimple," and I grit out, "Yes, I do, but remember how I told you people don't like to have that sort of thing pointed out?"  And other times it's just endearingly awesome, like when Anju and Alessandra faceplanted the library doors because they were desperate for the place to open.  Ketan is right on the edge of gaining self-awareness (bad in this case), so he's coyly sweet, saying, "Well, I don't hate you" or "You were pretty okay at that" which means he loooves me.  Both are nice, but I just really love that innocent trust that it's safe to say what you're thinking, and it's okay to do what you want to do.  My life involves a lot of flailing because I'm passionate, but far too often I reign in my emotions because adulthood means containing oneself.

On the other hand, when they are hungry or tired, they are pissed.  They're smart enough to say, "I'm hungry, so I'm CRANKY" but it's still annoying as hell.  And then I act like the hypocrite I am and teach them about maturity meaning knowing when to hold in your opinions and when to let them out.

Alright.  So awesome kids are awesome.  I'm so overwhelmed with gratitude that the children I nanny are basically my clones, so everything is easy and enjoyable.  Most of the time, obviously.  So I guess if I were guaranteed to have kids like them, I wouldn't mind being with them all the time.  Although would I?  Because I'm in school.  Eh, whatever.  I could probably never for years at a time stay home with kids all the freaking time, but it's not as bad as all that. 

(IMPORTANT NOTE:  I'm not saying I've thought stay-at-home moms were crazy.  I have the utmost respect for them precisely because I thought it would be so stinking hard for me to do the same.  Like thinking I would never want to be a pro wrestler, because that looks insane!  Now I see that maybe I could, in fact, be a pro wrestler.  Er, stay-at-home mom.  But I'm still going to study counseling.)