If I understood this prompt correctly, I can definitely think of an event where I felt like I had some kind of animal instinct. As soon as I read this prompt, I knew that I had to write about this particular situation. I was raised to care and be a positive role model for younger kids. Especially those in my immediate family, I feel the need and obligation to protect my family from any kind of harm. While I was babysitting my six month old cousin, she was content but incredibly fussy just as younger children can definitely be. I’m still trying to get used to her ever changing schedule and she started crying; the only thing I can think to do to calm her down is to fix her a bottle. I did everything I could to keep her calm while I made her bottle, and when it finally came time for her to take the bottle, she lie down on the couch and fell fast asleep, with her bottle in hand. She let me hold her while she slept and even let me move her into her room, into her crib to lay sound asleep until her father came home from work.
At that point, I felt that I had to do everything in my power to keep her safe while she was sleeping. I also felt an almost overwhelming feeling of trust from her towards me that she feels safe to sleep under my care. I think, whether you’re a mother or not, that’s one of the most amazing feelings someone can ever have in their lifetime. Although it doesn’t seem very difficult to earn their trust, it really is. Children can almost sense when they’re in some kind of danger, that’s usually why they’re really shy and even start to cry when they are around people they don’t know. I went through the same thing with my cousin; I’ve only babysat her for a couple months, and it took me that long to earn her trust because she absolutely refused to sleep while I had her. Just because babies aren’t developed completely in a mental state, they still have their own instincts; this also explains why babies tend to trust and have a close connection with their mothers, and difficult to get the same kind of trust with children while their mothers aren’t around. It gave me the sense of accomplishment and respect from this child, which to me, means the world and more.
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well i really enjoyed reading your blog and i totally understand what feeling that you are talking about. i used to babysit all of the time!! especially with younger children it is alot harder to calm them down once their mother leaves and once i can finally get them calm and to fall alseep i feel soo good about myself like i mean enough to them that they can just relax while they are around me. i also get that protective instinct, like i took careof them all night or all day that you still feel responsible for that child. your blog was really good and i totally understand what feeling you are talking about.
ReplyDeleteAwwww I thought your blog was SO cute this week. I really liked how you said that babies have a natural instinct even though they are still so underdeveloped. I never really thought that a baby would know the meanings of its surrounding, but the way you put it made me a believer. I definitely think that a baby can sense when a person is adept to take care of them. And I do think, now, that babies hate other people taking care of them because they feel insecure around them. It is overwhelming when your maternal instinct kicks in. Sadly, mine doesn’t work with children (lol). However, it works wonders with animals. I think I’d be a better mother to a group of kittens than an actual child. Somehow, I just know how to make them comfortable and happy. Maybe that’s my animal instinct. Idk. I was also a little confused by this prompt, but I still wrote on it for some reason. I think everyone had a different response to it, so I’m glad for that because mine may be a little off base. Again, really cute entry and I enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteI totally can relate to your blog, I have 5 younger siblings, and am very protective over them all. I despise to see them hurting or wounded of any sort. I love to see them smile and laugh. When people especcially children are mean to them I get very angry, like a mama bear soto speak. I am not an agressive person, but when it comes to my family I do not take it lightl at all. You can be mean to me all you want but leave my family alone. I love seeing their faces when I walk in the door and they run to me and give me a hug. I also love that they feel comfortable around me, because your statement that their trust is hard to earn is very true, a child has better senses about people than grown people a lot of the time. There are things a child can feel from a persons vibe that some people just cannot. So earning their trust is important and is very sepcial. My siblings are very important to me, so I tend to overract when I hear that someone has done them wrong, but I do not see it as a bad thing at all.
ReplyDeleteWow, I really enjoyed reading your blog. It was very cute and touching as well. I can relate to what you are saying. I don’t have any kids myself, but I do have a large family and many cousins. It really is an awesome responsibility to have the care of a small child in your hands. And it is a great feeling when the child trusts you enough to allow you hold them, and when they trust you enough to allow you to put them to sleep. I got to hold a newborn today as a matter of fact. My friend’s first little girl. It’s a nice feeling to have a little baby sleeping in your arms. I thought it was interesting how you talked about the instincts that babies can have, even though they are not fully developed mentally. It seems to me that adults have a parental instinct as well. Especially women, it seems as though it is bred into them to love, nurture, and comfort. Perhaps that is why babies just seem so irresistible to many of us. Yeah, but once again I must say, very nice blog. And also a very good and interesting parallel that you made.
ReplyDeleteYour blog was really interesting. I agree with you, having a child’s trust is very difficult and very appreciated. I have a little girl and there are only certain people that she allows near her. For example, she has been around her uncle ever since she was born. She is two years old now, and still she cannot even see him. I believe that this happens because the person might have a stronger character that those not aggravate them. Another example is another one of my daughter’s uncle. It took him about 7 months for her to be able to even give him a smile. It is just a matter of how good we treat the child and how good we have our senses. This is a terrific feeling, because you know that there is someone that now depends on you to care for them and many times the process can be eternal. I also found it very interesting how you compare your instincts to those of animals. I never really paid attention to that, but many animals are dependent on instincts. Many situations in life can actually set everyone to have instincts on who we can trust and who we cannot even look at.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand what you said here. Although I do not have children of my own, I used to be a nanny for two children. I watched the boy from the time he was 3 months old until he was almost 4 and I watched the girl from the time she was born until she was almost 2. Watching them for so many years,5 days a week, made me feel almost like they were my own kids! It is amazing how those natural instincts kick in. I became so aware of every little thing that might be harmful; when we took walks I always made sure that they were next to the houses and I was next to the street, I always noticed if milk was set down on the edge of the table, I knew all of the things that would upset them and what would calm them. I was surprised how naturally everything came to me, but it was a nice feeling. It made me feel like I would be a good mom someday.
ReplyDeleteI can totally appreciate and understand where you are coming from with the story you shared in your blog this week. I have worked with kids my whole life and I have a big family so I have been in that same situation of trying to get a child to really trust you. It usually does take a while, as you say they have an instinct and when they don’t feel something is right they will let you know. I work with children who have Autism so it is immensely harder to gain there trust especially when I am coming into there home environment and changing everything that they know upside down. I think that children are fascinating, and the reason that I continue to focus my studies on children is because I truly feel that they are the most complex creatures. They are wise, imaginative, creative, loving, honest, and very protective. I agree that the feeling of a child’s love and trust is truly irreplaceable.
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