smile and keep working. it will be Ok (probably).
From 7:30 to 5:30, I smile and work. I scrub counters and floors, heft children onto my hip and greet parents, change diapers and serve snacks. When children put six crayons in the fish tank, I smile and work. When my landlord who is my mother who is my landlord tells me she thinks my work is a fool's errand until I go back to college, I smile and work. When parents ask about my signifigant other who has left, I smile and say she's fine, and work. When an inspector comes in and asks for paperwork that should have been done but isn't I smile, and work. This job only requires two things: kindness and patience, and if I can make it to the end of today, it will somehow be OK, as long as I smile and work. I have no idea how to get where I am going, and precious little understanding how things even got as far as they have, but tomorrow comes early, so I smile, and work.
And they ask, as though I have the answers, how to be a parent. How to react when children scream, or throw. Is it normal to not talk sometimes? How about a lisp? What should they do if their son is afraid of other boys at the park? If their daughter is not trying new foods?
Sometimes, I have answers. But always, there is the smile, and confession: I do not have children. I do what I do, because at 5:30, they go home, and then I do not have to smile all the time. I may decide the work left will wait until tomorrow.
But tomorrow comes early, and I will smile, and I will work. Hello how are you. Have a great day. Your daughter tried to break the door today. I mean, she drew a picture with her best friend. Here it is - I have not seen her socks, no, they are probably in the laundry. Please wash your sons' boots: they have pee in them. I am sorry. I will see you next week.
I am not yet quite expert at this grown-up thing, and sometimes the children are waiting for me with their parents. Have you been here long? Yes, I am fine, I am simply out of breath perhaps. Yes, I should buy a better alarm.
Tomorrow comes early, and I do not mind. No matter what happens, I will smile, and I will work. If I get a moment alone inside with an assistant, I will swear about the weather, or perhaps my family.
keep calm, and _________. Do the thing. Smile. Work. It will be all right, and I'm doing the best I can. at home, sometimes, I say I do not know where this is all going, but I will pretend. On the weekends, I take training courses. They say I am doing a very good job except that my oldest boy is very interested in swinging a cloth around and roleplaying being shot and I should help him process this. So far, I ask him not to do this, and he is OK with this, except when his best friend is there twice a week. Except on those days, he would rather know whether he can have another bagel.
I will keep calm, and smile, and work. If I cannot keep calm, I will just keep smiling, and working. If I cannot smile, then I just pray that people will forgive me somehow. Tomorrow will be OK again. It will ALL be OK.
even if I'm not sure how. :)
And they ask, as though I have the answers, how to be a parent. How to react when children scream, or throw. Is it normal to not talk sometimes? How about a lisp? What should they do if their son is afraid of other boys at the park? If their daughter is not trying new foods?
Sometimes, I have answers. But always, there is the smile, and confession: I do not have children. I do what I do, because at 5:30, they go home, and then I do not have to smile all the time. I may decide the work left will wait until tomorrow.
But tomorrow comes early, and I will smile, and I will work. Hello how are you. Have a great day. Your daughter tried to break the door today. I mean, she drew a picture with her best friend. Here it is - I have not seen her socks, no, they are probably in the laundry. Please wash your sons' boots: they have pee in them. I am sorry. I will see you next week.
I am not yet quite expert at this grown-up thing, and sometimes the children are waiting for me with their parents. Have you been here long? Yes, I am fine, I am simply out of breath perhaps. Yes, I should buy a better alarm.
Tomorrow comes early, and I do not mind. No matter what happens, I will smile, and I will work. If I get a moment alone inside with an assistant, I will swear about the weather, or perhaps my family.
keep calm, and _________. Do the thing. Smile. Work. It will be all right, and I'm doing the best I can. at home, sometimes, I say I do not know where this is all going, but I will pretend. On the weekends, I take training courses. They say I am doing a very good job except that my oldest boy is very interested in swinging a cloth around and roleplaying being shot and I should help him process this. So far, I ask him not to do this, and he is OK with this, except when his best friend is there twice a week. Except on those days, he would rather know whether he can have another bagel.
I will keep calm, and smile, and work. If I cannot keep calm, I will just keep smiling, and working. If I cannot smile, then I just pray that people will forgive me somehow. Tomorrow will be OK again. It will ALL be OK.
even if I'm not sure how. :)