Bring Back the 2000s

Something that's on my mind often is: how can I relate my childhood to those of the kids I work with? A completely different decade. It can't possibly be done effectively. Can it?

An instance occurred the other day as I was driving the 15-passenger company van full of children.

I flipped through the radio stations and stopped when I heard the new Logic song. While I personally don't care for it, I figured the kids bouncing and yelling in the back would begin to calm down if they had something familiar to listen to.

"Turn it to 103.3!" a voice exclaimed.

"No, Kiss 108!" someone else demanded.

"Ugh, I don't like Kiss 108," another groaned.

I turned off the music.

"Okay," I said patiently, looking in the mirror at them. "What can we agree on?"

The kids all looked at one another for a moment.

"Um... I like Selena Gomez," Kaylee said.

"Yeah I like Bad Liar!" Patricia agreed.

"I like Shawn Mendes," Brody said, shrugging.

A few others offered their preferences. One boy remained silent.

"What do you like, Jackson?" I asked.

"The Sound of Silence," he replied.

And cue the silence.

"Oh," I said.

More silence.

"Hello darkness, my old friend..." he started to sing.

I laughed. "Uh huh, yep, that's—"

"I've come to talk with you again," they all chimed in.

I started laughing again as they sang the first verse together.

"Because a vision softly creeping,

Left its seeds while I was sleeping,

And the vision that was planted in my brain

Still remains

Within the sound of silence."

"I love that movie," Ali said, sighing.

"What?" I asked, laughing even harder. Right, the movie "Trolls."

I found this to be hilarious. They thought the song came from the 2016 kids' movie about singing, hugging, dancing trolls.

Of course because I work with children, I've seen it about 30 times. It's definitely my favorite kids' movie—Justin Timberlake is in it. But do they know who that is? Probably not.

It's interesting to think about what I was listening to at their age, and how things like old songs come back around again. So when I think about how I can give them a hint of my own childhood, this will serve as a point of reference.

Next time I drive them, I'll play some 2001 Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys.

Coming up next week: living with a sibling with disabilities. Real talk with kids who help care for their siblings...

Interview With Jason

Do you remember your first interview?

I remember mine. Yikes.

To be honest, I don't remember anything I said. What I do recall is the sound of my shaky voice, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants, and telling myself to BREATHE.

Surely I can't be the only one. Why is it so uncomfortable to be interviewed?

About a year ago, I realized that the entire time I was in public school, I was never put under that kind of pressure. I stuck to my books and hid in the back of the class, and my teachers let me. Therefore, I was never able to get used to it. Now, as I'm about to graduate from college, I wish someone had put me on the spot like that so I could practice answering questions confidently.

As I'm constantly finding new ways to help the children I work with, I thought interviewing them every now and then could be beneficial to them. This blog is a perfect excuse for that.

This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jason, a longtime member of the after-school program I work at. I chose to interview him not because he is known for his witty responses, but because for hours on end, he plants himself in a chair and shoves his face into a book. As an English major, I'm all for children reading on their free time, but I see myself in his spot and can't help myself.

The interview went as follows...

Raven: "Please go ahead and introduce yourself." 

Jason: "I'm Jason." 

R: "Hi, Jason. How old are you and where are you from? Tell me about yourself." 

J: "I'm ten years old, and I'm from Milford. I've lived in Milford for my entire life. But not in the same house. I live with my mom, dad, brother, and cat. My favorite color is red, I like pizza, and I hate broccoli." 

R: "Thank you, that's really good to know. Why do you like coming to this after-school program?"

J: "Um... I like all the fun stuff you get to do." 

R: "Like?" 

J: "Everything." 

R: "Oh okay... What do you want to be when you grow up?" 

J: "Do I have to... can I say more than one thing? I want to be either a cartoonist or a video game graphic designer." 

R: "That's pretty cool. I could see you writing comics."

J: "Like the Captain Underpants series!" 

R: "Right. Exactly. Do you have any advice for anyone reading this?"

J: "Advice? Like life advice? Yeah, don't eat yellow snow. It's gross. Oh and also, you should interview my brother next. Intelligence runs in the family."

I'd say it was a successful interview. What did I learn from it?

We have to learn not to be so austere. Not only did he have fun with this interview, but he also gave me everything I needed to know.

As Jason continues working on his comics, I vow to work on not taking myself so seriously.

About the Blog

Hi, I'm Raven! Welcome to my blog. This is where you come if you want to experience the world of child care without actually dealing with children. Through interviews and everyday interactions, you will come to know and love these children almost as much as I do!

Over the past nine years, I have worked at a daycare and after school program in my hometown of Milford, NH. Everyday is a new adventure when working with kids. Kids are funny, sassy, adorable, frustrating, weird, and gross. Most of all, they are refreshing! Some moments are too precious not to share, and that is what I plan to do here.

(photo from https://www.babycenter.com/0_nose-picking-why-it-happens-and-what-to-do-about-it_65503.bc)

Disclaimer: to protect the identities of the children and their families, I will be changing their names and refraining from posting pictures of individual members of the center.

(photo from http://twincitiesview.com/truth-living-family-roof/)

Sit back and enjoy the ride!