Skanda and Keshav.

Skanda. Keshav. Who knew those foreign words would ever mean anything to me. Funny how empty words can all of a sudden be full of so much meaning once they become a part of your life. Skanda and Keshav are the four-year-old twin Indian boys I babysit for just a few hours a week. Even in just the few weeks I have been with them so far, I have had so many laughs. They add so much joy to my life!

The Questions They Ask & The Conversations We Have

It's so funny to me how kids use what adults say and put those phrases in such amusing contexts. The boys have Kumon writing packets that they work on first thing every day I am there, and we try to focus on getting those done before doing anything else. Of course they constantly want to talk to me while doing their work, but I always say to them, "After you finish your Kumon packets, I would love to hear what you have to say!"

So, one day Skanda asks, "After we finish Kumon, you will love to hear what we have to say?" Just picture a little kid saying what he said. And not just any kid. A four-year-old with an adorable Indian accent. This is probably one of those things in life that is only funny if you were there.

Almost every day I babysit, they ask me if I'm a teacher right now (apparently I haven't succeeded in explaining what a student teacher is) and what I'm having for dinner that night. They eat Indian food (and no meat), and they are always fascinated by what I eat. The first time they asked about dinner, I said I was having spaghetti and meatballs, and they both looked pretty grossed out. Haha! For a few nights after that, they kept assuming spaghetti and meatballs was all I ate, until I explained to them that my diet isn't restricted to just those two food items. :)

We have random conversations all the time. We've talked about everything from the composition of the sun to acne to hot air balloons to lighthouses to... Well, I could go on and on. I love when kids just love to talk about life. And these kids love to read, too. I read to them every time I am there. Conversations and reading; this job was so meant for me.

Speaking of conversations, tonight we had one that was totally unexpected. We decided to play with legos tonight, and I've been missing London (and the Tower Bridge) a lot lately, so I suggested we build a bridge. So, after a long time, we finally succeeded in making one. Then, we were thinking of some other things we could make to go somewhere near the bridge, like boats, cars, and somehow lighthouses came into that mix. They didn't know what lighthouses were, so I described the concept to them. They started talking about lighthouses they had seen, but I was pretty sure they were talking about lampposts. So, we looked outside at some lampposts across the street. Then Keshav said, "If you go to a lamppost, you'll meet a witch and a faun." I was literally shocked. I had him repeat what he had said three times, because I thought for sure I was imagining it. It turns out that their teacher had told them about The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. They knew all about Mr. Tumnus, the White Witch who made it always winter and never Christmas, and Aslan who defeated the Witch and made all the snow and ice melt away. I can't believe I discussed my favorite book series with four-year-olds today.

Other Snapshots

Skanda next to the clock he made.
It "only works when kids touch it." 

The first day that I was there, we wrote and illustrated a children's story together; it was called The Bunny Rabbit & The Carrot. I found out that the most exciting part to them was at the very end of the book-writing/ illustrating process. You see, they love using tape, and they got to tape the book together at the end. So, maybe they aren't true authors/ illustrators at heart!

Another time, we made up a song, which lead into hilarious laughter.

They get SO excited every time I come and leave! These little boys steal my heart again and again. I'm just so thankful that God gave me this job. It's fun to go to a job where I get paid to read and play with kids and laugh pretty much constantly! This job is exactly what I needed, especially this semester. And especially after my last babysitting experience! God knows exactly what we need.