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[03 Aug 2010|10:23pm] |
Some days kids restore my faith in humanity. It was nail day and what was supposed to be a ping pong tournament. But no one wanted to play ping pong, so the boys ended up going to play basketball. We were a little worried, one of our boys has a prosthetic lower leg and some kids tend to make fun of him so he stays back. He's the type of kid that you can just tell his parents try to give him everything but they can never give him the acceptance of his peers. Everyday is a social struggle for him. Not today. My favorite boy in the group of 6th graders asked him to join his team, the smile on his face was classic. He jumped in and proved to them that he could play just as well, if not better. He knew the rules, he ran, he passed, he was the only one to make what would be considered a 3pt shot. Everyone was impressed and when the running took a toll and tired him out, they all sat with him, talking, telling him how awesome he was. It was so nice to see. It isn't often that kids are this nice to each other, but days like that remind me there is hope.
The girls weren't as exciting tonight, just painting each others nails and laughing. I even was forced to sit and watch Pretty Little Liars and Degrassi tonight. At the very least, I'm caught up on my teen shows. This is what I get for being the cool one who works there. Now if only I could get the rules to bend a little and have them call me Gabby instead of Ms. Yves.
Alas, the highlight of my night was my little 6th grader, such a good kid. Maybe one day he'll go on to do great things, really help people, and I'll look back and remember this one day. Why can't more kids be like him?
Of course, if I talk about something besides the kids, my boss is willing to cosign a loan for me so I can start school again in September. I have to call the financial aid office and make sure it isn't too late, if I could go back now, I'll be thrilled. Finish up my courses, get my masters, get a teaching job, continue on with life. I'm that close to becoming a full fledged adult, in my eyes at least.
Martin called me from France a few days ago, he's finishing his semester abroad, he was pretty drunk and didn't know who else to call. He says he got me a souvenir, which is exciting. He's the only one out of my siblings who has traveled abroad, and I'm glad that out of all people, he chose to call me. Our relationship was kind of rocky for a while, but he's gotten over it and I'd even dare to call him one of my best friends. I wish Jon would be the same way, he's too busy crumbling under the pressure of college, falling behind, and blaming me for setting the bar too high. I wish we could be closer, I feel like Jonathan, Martin and I should be so much closer as siblings. Lily and Derek are older, off living the married life, raising children, getting by on 9-5 jobs. Their lives are in such different places then the rest of us. But Jon would rather blame everyone else for his problems and Martin is miles away and even when he's home he feels more distant than anything. This is the problem with being the middle child isn't it? Especially when the younger two are twins. Luckily for me I have Kate and Delilah as cousins. Or else, who would I have hung out with when I was young and stupid?
I'm also finally on my own, for real. My own studio apartment, near the comforts of home, living life the way I want to live it. My parents didn't set rules for me when I returned home from college, but I could never disrespect them in anyway. I was always home at an appropriate time if I was coming home that night, no strangers in the house, no wild parties. But now, its a whole different ballgame.
This entry is a lot longer than I planned it to be. And I'm sure I have some paperwork to do before I leave the center for the night. The kids are all gone, but I'm required to be here until 11. I might as well make myself useful.
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contemplative
