I always knew I didn't want any...even though that niggling question remained:
"Would I someday live to regret that decision?" Yet, from very early on, I grew up knowing I didn't want to have children.
Recently, I got the opportunity to find out about "little people", first-hand, by teaching an hour-long, after-school art class to elementary kids.
Whoa! What a reality check! I had no idea! I've lived more than a half century completely clueless about the nature of children until I starting teaching them.
Needy. Whiny. Challenging. & Demanding. Those four adjectives struck me initially as I juggled the personalities of 6 little girls from second through fifth grade.
One smarty-pants. One goth-in-the-making. One sweet little sister. One needy whiny. One giggling silly. One easy breezy. Clearly, I had my hands full!
For only one hour a week, these kids challenged my every word. They didn't miss a beat. They called me on everything! A friend who tried to console me afterwards said, "It means they're paying attention!"
Oh-K.
My first few weeks were tough. I'd get a rush of relief to see the hour end but on the way home, I'd marvel at what transpired between these little people and me. As their art projects took shape, so too, our relationships. We were all works in progress.
I can't recall at what exact moment it happened but it didn't take long for me to discover that these kids probably have as much to teach me as I have to teach them! Most teachers probably come to the same conclusion about their students early on in their careers.
After my first class of six girls, my second session had nine kids, this time with boys. Oh, no! Boys, too?! But as it turned out, they were not as challenging as three girls in that class.
After 9 weeks with 15 kids, I had many revelations. I came to see that little people are just like big people. Some are needy and high maintenance; others, quiet and easy-breezy.
Now I've come full circle. I look forward to finding out what I may learn from these kids who challenge me. But also, more than ever, this much I know for sure:
Being child-free is--and always was--the correct decision for me!
