Popcorn on What?

"And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Matt 18:3
As you know, I have been working at a daycare all summer. Let me just say that I was definitely nervous at first. Well, I have worked with children many times throughout my life; nannying, babysitting, and not to mention I have three younger siblings whom I have changed all of their diapers before. (Well, at least helped.) But what worried me was the fact that I would be the one taking care of them. All day. I would be the one influencing them.
Where are their mothers? My heart just goes out to so many of these poor babies who get dropped off at 6:30 in the morning and don't get picked up by mom till 6:30 at night. And I am very sure that I do not know every one's circumstances, but these babies need their mothers.
I have been an influence in their young lives. It's amazing not how much you watch them, but how much they watch you!
For example they look to you to see how to respond to a cause and effect situation. Lets say one of them trips while running to you. They look up at you. What is my reaction? Do I run to them and cradle them and comfort them and let them cry? Or do I say:"Hey! Oops! Did you fall? It's ok pick yourself up!"? My response will teach them how to respond. If I worry over little things they will learn to cry over little things. If I comfort them, but tell them to shake it off, they will learn to pick themselves up and keep going. Now of course I comfort them when they need it, and that's how they learn that they are loved.
Another really funny example of that is with the buckets of toys. Some of the older children's favorite things to do is to take a bucket of toys, dump it out, and then take it some where in the middle of the room and stand on it. This drives me nuts! I constantly and positively remind them to "Please keep your feet on the floor" but they kept doing it! So every time I saw some of these kids standing on buckets, I would redirect them to another activity and take the bucket and put it in one of the cribs so they wouldn't be able to reach it. It worked, when I had all the buckets in there. A couple of weeks later one of the older boys was standing on the bucket again. I said calling their name, "Hey, please keep your feet on the floor so we can be safe." and as I walked over towards him, he got off the bucket, picked it up, and put it in the crib.
Totally cracked me up!
It's truly life changing to care for a child. Much more I would imagine when it's your own child, but these children are such sweet spirits. All children have sweet spirits. I have loved every minute of it! It has been such meaningful work and a learning experience that I think I really needed. Experiences that I can really apply in my future life. I can not write a hundredth part of the things that I have learned, especially about each individual child. Everything from their first steps, feeding them, and watching them as the fall asleep...They have such different and wonderful personalities that are already beginning to shine.
Such a wonderful and beautiful creation is a child. Especially these tiny babies that I have been working with. So new to this world. So eager to learn and to see. Ready to explore, touch things feel things, see things. (Eat things.)
I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have began to sing to them and sang, "I looked out the window and what did I see? Popcorn popping on the apricot tree!"
My co-worker: "Popcorn on WHAT?"
Oops.
That's what I love about Nursery.
So, not only am I working full time at a daycare Monday through Friday, I have also been called into the Nursery (full time) this summer in my family ward! Six days a week.
It's awesome.
Children are so ready to learn about the gospel.
"Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear, Things I would ask him to tell me if he were here. Scenes by the wayside, tales of the sea, Stories of Jesus, tell them to me!
Oh, let me hear how the children stood round his knee. I shall imagine his blessings resting on me; Words full of kindness, deeds full of grace, All in the love-light of Jesus' face.
Tell me, in accents of wonder, how rolled the sea, Tossing the boat in a tempest on Galilee! And how the Master, ready and kind, Chided the billows and hushed the wind." (Children's Songbook #57)
I love their Christ-like qualities "...and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him even as a child doth submit to his father."(Mosiah 3:19)
They are in need of so much nourishment, and I only wish I could teach them as much as they teach me. There are many times that I have looked at the families of the children in my daycare class, and wished they too could be taught. Oh how I love the gospel of Jesus Christ, and oh how I love the little children.