Patience

There is no doubt about it, my job requires patience. Massive amounts of it. And this week summer has tested it.

I am a toddler teacher which requires me to be a woman of many trades. I am...a diaper changer, a snotty nose wiper, a peace promotor, a curriculum planner, a boo-boo fixer, a dance partner, a lunch/snack server, a blanket coverer, a crying child comforter, and most of all I am one of three people in charge of the safety and wellbeing of 15 young lives.

Although some parts are not that glamourous (ie. blowout diapers, vomit (my weakness), snot-dripping noses, a large group of two year olds all wanting the same thing at the same time (think the seagulls on Finding Nemo- Mine, Mine, Mine)) I love my job. I can truly say I enjoy what I do.

Lately however, my patience has been tested. And the reason why can be summed up in two words....Nap Time.

Nap time used to be one of my favorite times of the day. Picture this....a dark, cozy room with beautiful music filling the air. Now add a dozen peacefully sleeping children spread out around the room all snuggled up on their cots looking angelic and perfectly innocent. My own personal heaven in the middle of the day. A chance for us teachers to eat lunch, get work done, and actually take a minute to breathe and relax.

But that is not my reality anymore. This summer, especially this week, has been absolutely insane. They. do. not. sleep.

Jackie once made a perfect analogy. You know that game at carnivals where you have to hit the things with the hammer and every time you get one another one pops up? That is what nap time is like for us these days.

It’s really not all of them that don’t sleep. Just a couple that scream at the top of their lungs make enough noise to wake up everyone else way before they should...therefore destroying our chance for a relaxing break.

Am I complaining too much? I so do not mean to...I’m just tellin’ it like it is.

Despite their malfunctions during the hours of 1 and 3, I adore each and every one of them. I so wish I could post pictures of their adorable faces so everyone could understand just how precious they are, but for privacy reasons I can’t do that, so you’ll just have to trust me on this.

TGIF :)