I'm a kindy Dad

Because of the overlap between TSAC holidays and Owen's holidays, I got to go to Kindy today.

I love Owen's Kindy because it is so well run, the teachers are fantastic and the kids are nice. I've never seen other Kindies so I have nothing to compare it to, but I bet if I did, I wouldn't be as impressed.

Now obviously there were other things I could have done today - fix the fence, paint some walls, play CODmw2 or continuously pick toys after Harry played with them for about a second - but this is what I really wanted to do. It's not the first time I've been able to do it; last year and this year I have spent a few hours there and even played my violin for the kids.

This time it really struck me how keen most of the kids were to spend time with me. I honestly don't know if their Dad's don't get to spend much time with them so they are starved for attention, or if they are used to getting attention from adults, I was an adult and I attended. But I was the centre of attention for most of the day. (I actually think the teachers didn't mind a bit of a break.)

All I was doing was playing with my son and anyone else who cared to join in, which was up to a dozen kids at a time. It wasn't intellectual, it wasn't academic, it wasn't psychologically analytical - it was just a bit of fun... and it felt great!

More importantly, Owen felt affirmed in his relationship with me. He knows I love him. But does it really hurt to emphasise the point "I LOVE YOU!" No, of course not. So I did everything I could to make that happen. The sad part from me is that I suspect that there are many kids out there who believe intellectually that their parents love them, but just don't get the affirmation that leads to the emotional belief that their parents love them. Too much work, not enough time is not a solution for any relationship and I think that sometimes our kids are so forgiving of our failings that we don't see how much they miss us and just want to be with us and be like us.

I strongly believe that our earthly relationships mimic our heavenly relationships. God taught us to call him "daddy" (not "that guy with the smite key and a long flowing beard) and wants to be with us all the time. The trouble is, most of the time we act like kids who have learnt their Dad is not available except at certain times, and who goes away on long trips overseas.

What did I learn from Kindy today?
sit down and turn your listening ears on
wash your hands
have a drink when your teacher tells you
have a guess
use friendly hands
create something
Your teacher is watching over you while during nap time
Kids love to copy so set a good example and follow a good example
Encourage everyone
When someone is sad, sometimes just sitting with them helps them feel better
Don't use toilet words
When kids know that a Dad is okay, they flock to him

Who would have thought I could learn so much in one day?