People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Luke 18:15-17 (The Message)
As a caregiver in the Chicks, I often feel like a zookeeper and the tigers have escaped. The children are on average two years old and while that might sound innocuous, they are smart, quick, and curious. That is a dangerous combination when there are twelve against one. This morning, it was too cold for them to be out of their room so they had to stay inside. After baths and potty time which cannot be adequately explained in words, you have to see it to believe it, I put blankets on the floor, scattered toys about the room including the dolls, tea sets and trucks I brought with me as well as a few riding toys and settled in to watch the fun. Naively, I thought I could clean mattresses and change the sheets on the beds while they played, but that was not happening. If I turned my back to them, they dismantled the diaper changing table, pulling out clumps of wipes from the box, overturning lotion and made piles of diapers on the floor. While I put that mess back in order, they moved on to overturning a table full of stuffed animals, upending the laundry basket and using it as a stool to get my camera, and taking the lid of a bottle of bleach all the while squabbling over toys and generally creating havoc. At times, they even roamed in packs creating two disasters at one time. When Nanny Christy came back to the room, she decided maybe it was warm enough after all and sent us all packing out to the play area where they finally settled down with books and puzzles. For five minutes. There is one little girl who instigates most of the trouble. Her name is Cindy and she is someday going to be the first woman President of Guatemala. She is cleaver, creative and knows exactly how far to push and when to use her generous smile to her advantage. Today, she took a toy from Elias. When scolded to give it back, she handed him a different toy which he let us know was not the one she had taken. Rather than give it back to him, she sat on it, then, extended her hands out as if to say, “What toy? I don’t have his toy.” When the bell rang for snack and they immediately quieted down, I lifted my hands and sighed saying, “Whew!” Laughing, Nanny Christy informed me that the Spanish word for relief is Consuelo. The Consuelo was short-lived because their milk gave them a renewed energy and they kept me and my teammate hopping through lunch and into nap time at 2:00. I do not know how Nanny Christy does it all alone. This afternoon was bittersweet as Christy will be off work tomorrow for All Saint’s Day. As I told her goodbye, I stated that she is my hero. I know she loves those children as if they were her own, and her work is also her ministry. May my work be the same as I follow her example.
 |
| Ana Lucretia |
 |
| Cindy |
 |
| Mauro |
 |
| Jamilet |
 |
Rosa
|
Thank you for this post! My husband and I worked with the chicks week before last, and are missing them terribly. This post was like a little visit with them! And boy oh boy do I know how wild they can be!
ReplyDelete