This moment right here. My heart leaped for joy the first time I read my published article in local newspaper, the Arizona Beehive Magazine. My heart leaped for double joy when I had the wonderful opportunity to visit in-person with the author, Emily Jex Boyle. It's a touching read, and her opening paragraph brought tears to my eyes. Tears of sadness for some of the challenges I encountered as a young child. Tears of gratitude for overcoming those challenges and choosing to celebrate the woman I've become today by giving back to young children. You can read the full article by clicking this link; https://arizonabeehive.com/where-they-accept-me-i-excel-local-author-celebrates-children-with-new-book/
Reflecting on every single tear has enveloped me into appreciating the challenges of my childhood and why I chose the career path I'm on. I have nearly two decades of work experience in the field of childcare and children have taught me so much about my life. My goal in writing my first book, Heart-to-Heart with Abagaba - A Nanny/Teacher Reflection is to invite the world to celebrate the strengths and capabilities of young children with me. The thoughts and feelings or young children are valid, and I know they experience moments of frustration and temper tantrums as they find meaning to the world, they live in. My goal in celebrating children focuses on the strengths and wisdom they provide through their social-emotional, cognitive behavior and more. How they teach and inspire us with their endless questions as they learn how to navigate their world and how they fit in. How they motivate and challenge us to stretch ourselves to reach our full potential. How they make us laugh. How they help us simplify the meaning of life.
This is the conversation a preschooler had with me after I changed wearing my hair from curls to braids. I'll call her Amelia. With a disappointed look in her eyes, she said.
"Miss Abby! You don't even look like Miss Abby anymore!"
"Oh, I don't? Who do I look like?" I asked, not thinking about how the change had affected her.
"Some other girl!" She replied.
"Some other girl?" I asked, opening my jaw so wide.
"Aha" She simply replied.
"Would you like to have the hair you knew of Miss Abby back?" I asked.
"Aha". She concluded with a smile.
This conversation gave me a lot of information about Amelia, and the image she might have stored in her mind as to how she knew and remembered her teacher. The change in hairstyle meant a lot to her, and it was fair that she observed and spoke her mind about it. This conversation was a good opportunity to talk about diverse cultures, hair styles and the many ways one can choose to wear it. Do you have any story to share about how a child taught, inspired, motivated, or made you laugh? I would love to hear it. Help me celebrate the awesomeness of children by sharing the profound things they say and have said.
Together we can make a difference in the lives of young children by protecting, caring, and advocating for them. Jean Piaget said, and I quote "How much more precious is a little humanity than all the rules in the world". If you don't keep a journal about the thoughtful things a child did or said to change your life or made you smile, I invite you to think about starting one. Join me in celebrating the awesomeness of children by sharing how much they teach us. When children get a physical injury, they ask for a band aid to help them feel better. I invite us to also put a heart on it.
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