I was recently given a new responsibility in Church—I teach the 3-year-olds. In Mormon lingo, that is to say, I teach the Sunbeams—8 of them. In fact, that's only half of the 3-year-olds in our ward. I think this is either a good joke to the powers that be or they are oblivious to my inexperience with children. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love children. I especially love my nieces and nephews. However, playing with or talking to a child for a few minutes is very different than raising a child or being responsible for teaching them; it's a daunting task. I'd rather teach gospel doctrine in a classroom full of adults any day, mostly because I'm used to adults.
In the few weeks I've been teaching these little darlings, there have been a lot of amusing comments. The hardest thing right now is that they are all very new to Primary, and some have a really hard time without their parents. There are a couple of kids who come very near—or have a full-blown—meltdown every week. Today was the first real meltdown for one little girl, and when that happens, it affects the other kids in class. Every week, I think of this video. If you watch from 6:15 to 7:25, you'll get an idea of what today was like:
However, the one thing that has struck me so far is how quick these little kids are to love and how eager they are to please. This was only my 3rd Sunday, and already many of them want to sit by me or tell me all about what they did during the past week. It melts my heart every time. I think I need to keep that in mind when the next meltdown happens.
Stay tuned for more stories, as they are sure to come in the upcoming weeks.
