Be Passionate About Your Profession
Have you ever been told you are special when a person finds out what you do, and then told your must be crazy when they find out how long you've done it? Well, they are right! We are very special to love the kind of work we do. We're just trying to do the best we can for the kids and their families.
It may start from just taking in a few children to help pay the bills or maybe having a playmate for our own child, but over time something in us changes. We see the difference it makes in our own family, and how it changes the lives of those families we care for. Don't forget that it's pretty rewarding to see them grow up, learn new skills and values, and then finally leave your care and enter the next stage of their life with great confidence. Their success wasn't an accident but the result of your passion. What other job could provide the pride, laughter, hugs, and unconditional love? Isn't it easy to be passionate about this profession when we have so many benefits? Our hard work gets showcased when these children go home or on to school and their parents and teachers are amazed with the skills these kids have. The skills you taught them. It gives me great pride when an amazed parent says "Where did they learn this, they didn't get it at home." Teachers will marvel at your passion when they recognize how well prepared the kids from your day care are for school.
Sure, we all have our bad days! Like the time I just had new oak cupboards installed in my kitchen. We were trying out a new paint tube and a child squeezed too hard, the cap pops off and red paint goes everywhere. The worst part was the ceiling fan was on and it blew the paint across the table, onto my new cupboards and even on the ceiling. What a mess! But the looks on those little faces were a keepsake and made everyone laugh. One of the kids father had built those cupboards and remarked "Patti, see what you did to my Dad's cupboards."
Our passion can get us into trouble too! Like the time my older school age children were looking forward to April fools and I shared with them a few tricks. One of the tricks was putting Vaseline onto the toilet seat to make it slippery. Sure enough, one of them tried it and his Dad slid off the seat in the middle of the night. Only his pride was hurt but I did hear about it. Thank goodness the father was a sweetheart with a sense of humor.
On our good days we find out how talented we are. We might discover we are good cooks. Once, when finishing up a meal that included corn on the cob one of the children said, "Patti please save the cobs for my mother!" I asked why, Anna? She replied "My mommy doesn't have cobs for her corn." It's also rewarding when a parent fixes the same things that you make but their kids say "It's not the same."
We all have talents and special things that define our passion and make us the best at what we do. If you have a day care or a preschool be passionate in all that you do. It shows that you care, that you make a difference, and that you love what you do. Passion, as well as competence, is what separates your business from the rest. When parents trust us with their children it's our job to perform the best we can.
Good luck and be passionate!
Patti Jo Lawrenz
pjltips@aol.com
