Did You Get A Call?

From the middle of January through the middle of May 2008 I traveled a little over 18,000 miles talking to child care professionals about stress and burnout. I met dozens of caregivers who loved their jobs and felt that working with children was their Ultimate Purpose, their calling.

In fact, in most sessions 80% of attendees raised their hands when I asked if child care was their calling. Many of us do this job because it is more than a job. It is a chance for us to share our special talents and competencies with the world. A chance to contribute.

Some people get called to do big things, historic things, things that make them rich, things that make them famous, things that change the world. Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Mozart, Steve Biko, JFK, and Winston Churchill are just a few such names that are staring back at me from the spines of books in my office.  These people are known for answering their call and using their talents to make big contributions to their worlds.

We, on the other hand, were called to care for young children. Called to open our hearts. Called to share our lives. Called to take on the emotional and physical challenges that come with the work. Called to low pay and poor benefits in many cases. Called to  wipe noses, change diapers, tie shoes, and give hugs. Called to chase stray Cheerios across the floor we just swept.

*****

I keep a notebook of the silly and strange things kids say and do in our care. Paging through this notebook the other day I found this entry:

Hunter, 2 1/2, was potty training. I stood in the bathroom waited for him to do his business. He struggled to stay on the set, wiggling from side to side trying to get comfortable. Out of the blue he said, “Look Jeff, I can poop on my hand!”

Then he pooped on his hand. 

Another entry a few years later:

Hunter stopped to pee on the sidewalk in front of the house today because, in his words “I was in a real hurry to play and didn't want to go inside.”

*****

This is my calling?

Really?

Why would anyone answer this call?

Then I remembered.

When Hunter was about 3 he walked into the kitchen while I was standing at the stove making lunch. He watched me for a while and then out of the blue put his arm around my leg and said, “Jeff, I REALLY love you.”

I picked him up and thanked him. Then he gave me a huge hug. I admit I teared up.

For his first six years I was his primary adult male role model, he spent more time with me than any other guy in his young life. On his last day in our care, his mother gave us a card with a hand written note that said, “THANKS—I could not have done it without you.”

 You see, our call to work with children is no smaller than the call of the famous people like Kennedy or Mozart. Our call is just as important. In my mind it may be more important because we have the opportunity to influence the lives of so many young children in so many positive ways. The future of my community visits me every day and I have a chance to help shape their views, outlooks, and thinking. That is power. That is important.

Sometimes we may feel we got a raw deal when callings were handed out. We feel short changed and stuck in our careers. We feel empty and stressed. We feel unappreciated. We feel unimportant.

If you’re like me and feel called to work with children, I want you to thank you for answering that call. It takes lots of effort and drive to do it day in and day out. Sometimes we don’t get the respect we deserve. Sometimes we wish we were called to something with more money, fame, or prestige. Sometimes we wish for the day to be over. Sometimes we just wish they would not poop on their own hands.

But the work we do is vital and we change the course of lives every day. Our attention, focus, love, energy, and commitment make the lives of the children and families we serve better in both the short and long term. Our profession is why other professionals can go out in the world and do the things they do. Our profession is why so many children grow up to be loving, stable, and healthy. We are anchors, we are teachers, we are calm ports in stormy lives. We are valuable even when we do not feel valued.

Thanks for answering your call.