Toddler Terrors
Tuesday, February 22, 2005 by Mel
I’ve been working in the nursery at church this month. I love being around kids. I love the way they are fascinated by the smallest things (I too am easily amazed). I love their ability to be affectionate. Since I don’t have any kids and don’t spend much time around kids, I like to get in a little nursery duty every once in a while to keep myself prepared. Who knows when I might come home and find a basket outside my front door. And hey, there’s nothing like a roomful of toddlers to give you an excuse to play.
Here’s what I've learned this week: small children will cry about anything. These precious, powdery tots can turn into hoodlums and terrorize all the other kids in the nursery over the smallest things. Ways to avoid conflict: make sure the number of cool toys is equal to or greater than the number of children. The nursery has one of those fancy train sets with the tracks and sounds that make most adults cringe but fascinate every person under the age of 4. When there are 12 children and only 3 train engines, you can be certain to have some conflict that can include but not be limited to crying, yelling, pushing, throwing, and biting. The other popular toy is the dollhouse. In it there is a mother, father, baby, and puppy. Both baby and puppy are crowd favorites; the mother and father will suffice but not satisfy kids in the same way. No matter how much we try to encourage sharing, the kids want to hoarde all the dolls and scream at any other child who shows interest in them.
Kids will also cry for no visible reason. I was helping with childcare last night for a church function. One child was crying when I got there and did not stop for at least half an hour. It’s hard not to feel bad for the kid at the same time that you’re completely frustrated with him for being so upset. His face was the same color as his miniature Sooner jersey, and both face and jersey were covered in a sticky mixture of tears and snot. None of the shiny or musical toys made him calm. He didn’t want to be held, rocked, walked, or left alone. We almost had him excited about the bubbles, but he was determined to be unhappy. We finally paged his mother to rescue him. It seemed that was all he wanted in the first place.
You might think that experience would make a girl wish to be sterile, but I've signed up for another round of babysitting tonight. If anything exciting happens, you shall be the first to know.
Here’s what I've learned this week: small children will cry about anything. These precious, powdery tots can turn into hoodlums and terrorize all the other kids in the nursery over the smallest things. Ways to avoid conflict: make sure the number of cool toys is equal to or greater than the number of children. The nursery has one of those fancy train sets with the tracks and sounds that make most adults cringe but fascinate every person under the age of 4. When there are 12 children and only 3 train engines, you can be certain to have some conflict that can include but not be limited to crying, yelling, pushing, throwing, and biting. The other popular toy is the dollhouse. In it there is a mother, father, baby, and puppy. Both baby and puppy are crowd favorites; the mother and father will suffice but not satisfy kids in the same way. No matter how much we try to encourage sharing, the kids want to hoarde all the dolls and scream at any other child who shows interest in them.
Kids will also cry for no visible reason. I was helping with childcare last night for a church function. One child was crying when I got there and did not stop for at least half an hour. It’s hard not to feel bad for the kid at the same time that you’re completely frustrated with him for being so upset. His face was the same color as his miniature Sooner jersey, and both face and jersey were covered in a sticky mixture of tears and snot. None of the shiny or musical toys made him calm. He didn’t want to be held, rocked, walked, or left alone. We almost had him excited about the bubbles, but he was determined to be unhappy. We finally paged his mother to rescue him. It seemed that was all he wanted in the first place.
You might think that experience would make a girl wish to be sterile, but I've signed up for another round of babysitting tonight. If anything exciting happens, you shall be the first to know.
Posts
