Today I did job interviews. Luckily, I was the one interviewing instead of the one being interviewed. This was after an entire work day full of puppet shows for children. I came home rather cross-eyed with fatigue.
The juxtaposition of interviewing young adults and creating plays for small children made me think. One of my colleagues is young enough to be someone I taught at the beginning of my career. Many of the people I interview these days are people whom I could easily have taught when they were very small children, and some of them I did teach.
Sometimes people are offended by children. Preschoolers can be particularly offensive, with their propensity to say what they mean and their heavy leaning towards temper tantrums and messes. I can see why people get easily frustrated by preschoolers, why they might not want them around, especially when they don’t currently have a preschooler of their own.
Yet I love small children, and not just for their delightfully messy and emotionally straightforward behavior. Why do I love them?
I love them because they are emerging little people. Like the young adults I interview, they are defining themselves and searching for who they want to become. Yes, this is happening at a whole different level in the preschool set, but it is happening nonetheless. Preschoolers are children, but we often forget that they will not be children forever. Before we know it, they will be those young adults, caring for us and for the world. It’s wonderful to watch their personalities and interests emerge as we help them become the people that they are already.
That’s why I like small children. Not because they’re cute, not because of their potential, but because they are amazing little humans who continue to be amazing as they grow and change into adults.