when I was little...

When I was little...



I didn't care as much to what people thought or felt about me.
I was oblivious and naive, and that protected me from getting hurt.

When I was little...



The smallest things in life mattered. Everything was big and beautiful; I longed to discover new things and how it tied together.

When I was little...



I begged my parents to let me stay up longer, to let me stay outside longer, and I'm sure I tested their patience one or twice with the whole sleepover topic. The more the better was always my outlook with my friends.

When I was little...




My favorite smell was the rain puddles I jumped in and then would lay my whole body in like it was a pool. In those moments nothing felt more perfect. Cold, smelly, street water gave me sheer happiness.




When I was little...


McDonald's was my favorite land. My brother, Jeremy, and I would never want to leave. It's an escape for a child. Chicken nuggets, soda, french fies, a toy, and a playplace? What could possibly be better than that?



I'm not so little anymore, but I love so much to see littles exploring with big, bright eyes and a fascinated mind. I love children because they see the positive in anything and everything. Children are optimists without even trying. I have to make a choice everyday to get up and be happy, and sometimes I fail.

Take away something from an adult and they have a hard time forgiving, but children can go in time-out for 15 minutes, take a nap, have their toys taken away and still wake up the next day cheery and forgetful of what happened the day before. Their minds are like a dry erase board sometimes.

I have so many great memories of when I was little because I was raised in a family that devoted their time, attention, and love to me. So many families don't have that, and it saddens me. Children are gifts from God. They are meant to be loved, adored and cherished. The way you treat them when they are little will mirror who they are when they are older (though there are exceptions).



These pictures are of Brandy. She's 3, and is one of the kids I watch regularly. She laughed all day, and the only time she got upset was when her juice box fell and red ants attacked it. . .

I miss being little, don't you?

P.S. I think I know what Brandy is going to be when she's older. It starts with P and ends with a R. Just look at a picture she took on her first time handing her my camera:



I was amazed.
Never underestimate a child. :-)