Rambles

Somedays I just feel like sharing thoughts - no particular topic, no particular purpose. Just thoughts that ramble through my mind like a brook rambles through the countryside. Hence, the name "Babbling Brook," a blog where I can ramble if I want or write with a purpose. A blog that is not centered about a central theme, such as sharing of family, but one in which I can just share my heart - or not - as the mood strikes.

It's been a busy, but challenging week. I spent three days out of the office serving on an accreditation team for ACSI (Association of Christian School International) at a neighboring preschool. It's always fun to see what other preschools are doing and I always come back with some new ideas. But at the end of the time, it is back to reality, so today was spent back in my own office returning phone calls and sorting through the piles of mail and other miscellaneous papers that accumulated in my three day absence!

One of the things that I have noticed is that no matter where you go or what you do, children are children! They do, say, and act the same whether they are in my preschool classes or the classes of the preschool I visited this week. They are uninhibited; they say and act the same as children their own age everywhere. Four year olds especially are forthright - I am reminded of the little boy who stood on the other side of the bookshelf from me and muttered, "Go away, go away, go away ..." It was obvious he was uncomfortable with a stranger invading his space. Or the little girl who looked at me and said, "why are you here?" Or another with the directness of a small child, "why are you so big?" Because their honest, forthright questions are so candid, we as parents and adults quickly learn to shush them and teach them that some things should be left unsaid. Reminds me the commercial I've seen where the adult quickly stuffs food into the mouth of the child who is honestly speaking his mind. We learn our lessons well; we learn to evade the truth that sometimes needs to be expressed. We learn that there are times to speak and times to be silent. We so quickly lose the simple innocence of the child and conform to the expected norms of society. And I guess that can either be good or bad, depending on your point of view!