2 Year Olds

I'm almost finished with my second week of work. After a month of being stuck at home all day, I was starting to get pretty antsy. I was glad to finally (it seemed like finally) get a job. It is in Pasadena, conveniently only 3 miles away. It takes me an hour to get there, though, thanks to taking the bus. Public transportation isn't quite as useful here as in China. Fortunately, Kevin works nearby and can pick me up in the evenings.
I'm working with two year olds. When I told people what I was going to be doing, most of them responded with something like, "that sounds terrible." I never really imagined I could work with kids that young either, but there are advantages and disadvantages to any age. Despite the alleged "terrible twos," there are actually only a few kids that throw tantrums. There is a lot of diaper changing. I am becoming an expert diaper changer. And there is the whole potty training thing. There are a lot of noses to wipe and shoes to tie and jackets to zip. I feel like I'm bending over, squatting down, picking up, sitting on the floor, and jumping back up all the time. I am quite tired at the end of the day. Still, it's a pretty interesting age.
For one thing, they are really cute at that age. That is smart on God's part, if you ask me. Their vocabulary doubles about every week. The early twos may only be saying single words while the later ones might hold a whole conversation with you. They are so eager to observe and experience everything. Their world is still simple enough that you know why they're crying, and two minutes later they're ready to go back and play. Sometimes they just need someone to hold them or to intervene in a fight or to recognize they are a dinosaur.
There are infants through five year olds at the center, and the five year olds already seem incredibly old to me. Old and worldly and rough. Interesting how that is. I used to think I could never teach kindergarten because they are too young. I wouldn't want to stay with two year olds for the rest of my life, but it's okay for now. Meanwhile, the length of time before I could visualize being ready for my own kids gets longer and longer. I like being able to hand them off to their parents. I still need to be able to come home at the end of the day. Yes, that's a very good thing.