Little kids

I generally say that I don't like little kids.

Okay, I confess, this isn't altogether true. I actually *hops into confessional chair* really like little kids.

I like to convince myself that I don't like little kids because mostly... I am not patient enough for little kids in large doses. The siren noises, the dripping noses, the ping-pong-like motion of a four year old hopped up on candy... Yeah, it frays my nerves and I find it easier to say that I don't like them.

(And yes, I am usually the one who gives them the candy. I come from Italian-American stock. My genetic makeup says "Feed Children" and since I don't cook- CANDY)

I do like children.

Today was a fun reminder of how much I like them. I sat in a car full (Five under five, if I was to make a guess) of squeaking, squawking toddlers and I had a blast.

I started by telling them I was really mean.

This had five sets of eyes trained on me, the adult, in nervousness. Adults don't tell kids they are mean. I modified this by adding, "Well, maybe not mean, but for sure, I am scary."

The bravest of the five, a little boy with huge azure eyes and a mop of dark hair piped up, "Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah. You wanna see my scariest face?"
The kids were curious. I wasn't behaving like a grown up was supposed to.
"You guys have to promise not to get too scared, okay?"
Five nods. Five wide eyes.

I crossed my eyes, made fish lips and wiggled my eyebrows up and down.
When I had finished I looked at five kids struggling not to giggle. "Pretty scary, right?"
From there, I had them.
I was the Jeff Dunham of the car. I was amazing. I was hilarious.

This is the true magic of children. With a little imagination, a few funny voices and faces, you can have them laughing and talking to you. Grown ups aren't like that. We try so damn hard to control that inner silliness, that willingness to be happy, that we forget to have FUN.

So this blog basically is me saying... Find your inner kid.

Let them out to play.

Make someone smile today.
And I dare you not to smile back when they do.

Oh, and for those curious, the handsome gent in the picture is my youngest when he was a baby. Pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself... which I just did... *shrug*