m&m&m&m

Yesterday was a very long day. I taught all day, worked in aftercare with middle school until 5, and then went straight to a friend's house to babysit 3 little girls until late last night. That's a long day of LOTS OF KIDS, but it wasn't a bad day.

The girls I babysat are named Molly, Maggie, and Mallory, and they are 8, 5, and 3. We had dinner and then watched The Gameplan together. While we were eating, I decided to play "Would you rather" with them. I asked if they would rather eat dog food or sleep in the car all night. They were split on that one. Then I asked if they would rather lose both their arms or never live with their parents again. They all said they'd rather lose both their arms. Then they gave it a try. Maggie, the 5 year old, had a pretty good one ... "Would you rather sleep under the car all night or eat a flower?" HA! So Mallory, the 3 yr old tried. "Would you rather sleep under the car or eat a door?" I tried to explain to her (knowing it would be futile) that I couldn't possibly eat a door.

Later that night, Mallory was being talkative in order to avoid going to sleep. She's quite the clever 3 year old. I was lying with her on her bed, and she was staring at me. She said, "Why are you a bad person?!" She thinks I'm a horrible person because her older sister Molly tells her I yell at my students all day. I think Mallory is afraid of me.

I wonder if it's strange that I enjoy kids so much, but really don't care if I ever have any of my own. I know most(?) girls just can't wait for the day they have their own kids, but I don't have get that feeling. I think it's scary, really! If I ever have kids, I will love it, I'm sure, but I'm not unhappy at the thought of not having them. I guess I'm content, which is a rarity for me. But, I love being around kids. They have such an innocence in their thoughts at times, that it's, well, refreshing. Don't get me wrong, I know they're EVIL, too! ;) But overall, it's an uplifting experience for me to be around children. They are definitely a gift from God, even if they are not mine. Maybe that's what I like---part time kids!