I have a 4.5year old teacher
Over the last 30odd months of WFH amidst juggling with innumerable roles and responsibilities and battling with time constraints, working alongside my preschooler has taught me many valuable lessons and allowed me to grow both as a professional and as a mother. I’m blessed to experience the learnings through each, sharing a few below:
How to be forgiving:
I’ve rarely seen my little one carry emotional baggage for long.
Yes he gets disappointed => expresses it => takes his space for healing => back to BAU.(Business as Usual)
Hell he’ll even talk to the offender like nothing really happened! I’m sure he’ll make a great team player if this trait continues as he grows old.
How to never give up on dreaming:
From talking about applying for rocket flying driving licences so he could fly to Saturn and slide on the rings to wanting to write to Mr. Modi that he needs a CoVID 19 vaccine soon because he wants to explore the world outside to fancying Shershaah a.k.a. Vikram Batra and wanting to join the Defence Services for India; my bub never ever gives up on dreaming of whatever fascinates him. Not sure, why adults find it difficult to dream fearlessly.
How to always be inquisitive:
My colleague and I had a joke on the 9 WHY liberating structure to be probably inspired by kids. This baby of mine can easily fire his series of 9*10^inf WHYs when he’s probing or exploring and not feel guilty of bothering anyone or pondering over “what will people think if I ask stupid questions” :D
How to relentlessly help everyone to the best of our capacities:
I’m assuming boundaries are for adults, we love scoping our problem space and time boxing activities and so on. I’m amazed at the lengths at which this kiddie will go to solve some of the seemingly trivial problems (like when his grandma wanted a new purse) to things like onboarding our new cook or deciding what to watch over during meal times. I’ve seen him come up with a gazillion suggestions, each trying to cater to specific needs, iteratively discovered by him, and he will not complain even once.
Dance to your heart’s content:
No he doesn’t care who’s watching when he is in the mood to go all jiggle wiggle or whether he is in a ladies’ restroom, all it takes is music that’s suited to his taste and voila! Believe me if it weren’t for some of my privacy and safety concerns someone’s all set to launch his YouTube channel or Instagram account and roll reels regularly.
Speak your heart, no diplomacy:
While coming from a place of pure innocence, this one is by far the trickiest to achieve and those who’ve experienced the repercussions would agree hands down that this is one of the most challenging bits about being surrounded by kids ;) But there are times, when this leads me to genuinely wonder what would it take and where would it lead us if we’re all to speak our hearts out during and beyond work hours.
While I’m still finding ways to be able to dance like no one’s watching, I’m truly indebted to the pandemic that forced us into living the new normal and giving me an opportunity to first hand enjoy the foundational years of my little munchkin. I owe you big time my bubbub!