Knowledge vs. Emotion
After taking my first teaching job
in an infant classroom 13 years ago, one of the first valuable things that I
learned was that new parents required lots of nurturing and guidance. As
a teacher, I was always happy to provide that.
Through the years, as new moms and
dads brought their little bundles of joy into the classroom setting, I became
pretty adept at providing support by comforting, reassuring and
empathizing. When they arrived on the first day of school, I kept a
tissue in my hand "just in case," and 9 times out of 10 it came in
handy. As they fought back tears while putting their trust in my hands
and handing their child over to me, I would hand them the tissue, reminding
them that they could call or visit ANY time, as many times as they
wanted. "It will be ok. I promise it will."
During the same time span I took
classes at a local college, working towards a degree in Early Childhood
Education. This obviously provided an understanding of the child's own
response to a new environment as well as the psychology behind the struggles of
working parents. That, along with the "hands-on" experience
truly enhanced my ability to handle these challenges in a caring and
professional manner.
For the past 2 years, I worked as a
nanny for a wonderful family with two boys, currently age 2 and (almost) 4. Due
to my upcoming graduation in May, I am moving forward with my career by
resuming a teaching position in a professional setting. Therefore the 2 boys
are starting their own new journey at a local center. When their dad
dropped them off for their first day of school yesterday, as expected, it was a
bit of a challenge for both of them.
This morning, it was MY turn to
drop them off.
When the 2 year old began to cry
upon walking into the front door of the center, it was not unexpected. I picked
him up and decided to take the older one to his classroom first. As we stood in
the doorway, I could see his little cheeks becoming flushed and those big old
crocodile tears forming in his eyes. The director and teacher were standing
there as I gave him a big hug and told him that he could visit his younger
brother just down the hall. I kept telling myself, "Just walk
away. The teachers will take care of him. You KNOW this." The
exact same thing happened with his younger brother in his classroom.
My brain said, "It will
only take about a week for the transition to be complete. It will
be ok. I promise it will." But my heart refused to
comprehend as it continued working against my attempts to pull
away.
I was faced with the exact type of
situation for which I provided support for so long, only with a complete role reversal.
It was an unfamiliar, internal Tug-o-War-like struggle between the years of
knowledge and experience and the reluctance to take my OWN advice, given to so
many in the same position.
It was the first time that I had a
clear understanding of what parents go through, from their point of view.
I understood why they say that working parents often struggle with guilt, as I
contemplated the fact that my pursuit of a professional career was putting them
through this. At the same time, I knew that this was eventually going to
be a reality anyway.
I'm sure they ended up having a
good day and they will continue to adjust to their new environment. My
knowledge tells me that. But my heart still wants to run back and
distribute as many hugs and kisses as humanly possible, and reassure them that
"Ms. Christy" is so proud of them and adores them all the way to the
moon... and back.
Word of the Day: Insight
(Definition):
"The capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive understanding of a person or thing."
