Childcare

Childcare staff is a community.

 Our constant need of teamwork makes us a community.

 We are required to make fast decisions, we are demanded to meet every need of every child.

We are patient, kind, nurturing, we know boundaries, and when discipline is necessary. 

We fumble with each other, and sometimes we don’t agree, our teaching styles are different. We are held together though, by the innocence of the kids.

I am a solid long time part of the childcare staff. 

I do the heavy work, and am the backbone of the community.

I have a special relationship with most of the kids.

 I am close to the parents, and I feel that some of these families are my own. 

I do it because kids heal. They can brighten your day in an instant.

 I do it because I love my co-workers. 

I do it not just because it’s my job, but because...

...I love it.

Identity, is it our Wallets?

As humans I believe that we are quick to believe what we see. We make assumptions before really examining someone or their situation. Celebrities for as long as there have been celebrities have had their most personal moments broadcasted for the world to see. I don't care if you read the tabloids or not, if someone were to ask you the story of Britney Spears you would know it... and I'm sure you would be pretty confident in what you were talking about.  What I'm trying to get at here is we think that we know these people based on the clips of their lives that we get to see. We know their birthdays, their love lives, and most of the time a lot more completely unnecessary facts about them; but facts don't reveal all. Do we know their identity just from these stories? What if we looked at their wallets? What if you looked in my wallet? Could you determine my identity?

Looking through my wallet you could say that I am organized because of my lack of clutter, a coffee lover because of my Starbucks cards, an outdoorsy person with my REI card, and a licensed driver. I don't know about you but if that was all there is to me, I just might be the most boring person on the planet. I can assure you, I am not boring.

I crave the sun, and anytime there is sun I am outside getting an awful tan line from a camera around my neck. I will do just about anything for my family, and I love my job working at a childcare. There is nothing in my wallet that could tell someone that I love God, and that I value my religion. Even these things are just pieces of who I am, and my wallet can't tell you any of them.

I view my wallet as something that I need to drag around with me for needed purposes only. I rarely bring a purse anywhere because I'm already toting around my photography bag which can be quite hefty at times. Sometimes I'm a bit of a space case and I'll misplace my wallet. Why would I want to risk loosing something special? 

You can't just look at one part of someone and assume that you have figured them out. Identity can mean a few things, but if it determines who someone is... it takes time, and a lot more then a wallet to get to figure it out.