Since
I was 12 years old, I have been babysitting. I usually do it a few
times a month. For the longest time, I saw it as a job opportunity. It
was a way to fund whatever I wanted to do that weekend and to possibly
save some money for college. I thought of it as just a few hours out of
my busy life that I would have rather spent doing so many other things.
A
couple years ago, I was babysitting with one of my good friends. It was
a family of four kids. At the time, they were 7,6,4, and 2. It was
dinnertime, and with four kids things can get a little crazy when
everyone is hungry. The two oldest kids were fighting, the 4 year old
was making laps around the kitchen, and the youngest was getting into
something she wasn’t supposed to be in. My friend dropped a ceramic
bowl on the floor. Pieces of the bowl went flying in every direction.
Out of frustration and without thinking, she swore. All of the kids
stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her. The 6-year-old
boy decided to repeat the word over and over again. My friend didn’t
think anything of it.
couple years ago, I was babysitting with one of my good friends. It was
a family of four kids. At the time, they were 7,6,4, and 2. It was
dinnertime, and with four kids things can get a little crazy when
everyone is hungry. The two oldest kids were fighting, the 4 year old
was making laps around the kitchen, and the youngest was getting into
something she wasn’t supposed to be in. My friend dropped a ceramic
bowl on the floor. Pieces of the bowl went flying in every direction.
Out of frustration and without thinking, she swore. All of the kids
stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her. The 6-year-old
boy decided to repeat the word over and over again. My friend didn’t
think anything of it.
At that moment, I realized what a huge impact she just had on that
child. Kids are so impressionable. From that point on, I have made it a
priority to be a role model for the kids that I’m around. I believe
that it is the job of a community, especially a church community, to
raise the children in it. I had never realized how important it was to
have a positive influence on the kids I’m around, instead of a negative
influence. Now, I always watch what I say and do in hopes of instilling
good values in the kids I’m around.
