Personal Childhood Web

There were not many people in my life whom I can say were there for me.  I lost the 2 most important people in my life very early on: 1) my mother when I was just 4 years old and 2) my father when I was 10 years old.  I can't really say anything about my mother as I do not remember her, but my father was there for me the best way he knew how.  I love music and singing and my dad would play his base and sing to us (me and my 2 brothers) all the time.  One poignant moment when I knew he really must love me was when he had to comb some dreads out of my hair.  I had been in charge of my hair and was to comb it myself every morning.  I was not doing so however and the 2 ponytails I had turned into dreadlocks.  My father took me to a hair dresser who proceeded to inform he they would have to cut them out.  My dad was not having that.  He took me home and proceeded to tackle the job him and he got them out, saving my long, beautiful, wavy hair.  I cried and screamed but he did not yell at or whip me.  He just kept at what he was doing and I knew he loved me.

The second person in my life who looked after me as my father requested (another reason I knew he loved me) was my aunt-his sister.  She was the one who told me about my menses when I found the chair I was sitting filled with blood.  She was the one who kept my cousins messing with me-I was very shy and kept to myself some.  I remember a time after my father had died that it came to be her birthday.  I came be a decorative mug and gave it to her for her birthday.  I was very proud of the mug and hoped it conveyed how much I loved her.  Well her (adult) son gave her a beautiful handbag.  I felt foolish about my gift and sat about pouting.  Later that day she came over to me and said, "You try to act bad but inside you are a softy."  In parting she kissed me on the cheek.  That is when I knew she must love me because she paid attention enough to really know me.

The Boy Who Wouldn't Share

With the age of the children I work with, there is always an issue of sharing.  Many kids at this age are in the "mine" stage and everything they touch is mine, mine, mine.  They are too young to understand the concept of sharing.  And what can you do about it.  Well I found this book and fell in love with it.  Not just because of the children I care for and that it will be a big help when trying to handle a "mine" episode in the future, but because it reminded me of me.  I too was at the "mine" stage at one point and "mine" only made sense to me when I was saying mine.  But when someone had what I wanted, boy was I ready for THEM to share which is what happens to the boy in this book.  It is a joy to read and the illustrations are wonderful too.

Jami's Art Piece

This picture was done by my 3 year old cousin who I met for the first time this past May and June.  I love this because she gave it to me and loved me before she even knew me.  I was on the phone with my older cousin, her grandmother, and we were discussing my upcoming trip to Sacramento where I was going to visit them.  My little cousin was excited and screamed, I love you Chris.  She had yet to meet me and she gave me undeserved love.  Well I love her too and this is a picture she drew of me with a rose as large as my head.  I love it.  It is as simple as that.

Love Is God

Love is something you and I must have.

We must have it because our spirit feeds upon it.

We must have it because without it we become weak and faint.

Without love our self-esteem weakens.

Without it our courage fails.

Without love we can no longer look confidently at the world.

We turn inward and begin to feed upon our own personalities, and little by little we destroy it ourselves. With it we are creative.

With it we march tirelessly.

With it and with it alone, we are able to sacrifice for others.
-- Chief Dan George



Love is very important to me and I feel it deeply when I do feel it which is often.  I believe love is the greatest gift God has given us and it is the greatest gift one can give to another.  I believe love sustains us and keeps us going no matter what the circumstances we find ourselves in.  I also believe without love we crumble to nothing; we cannot make it without love.  Love is the alpha and the omega.  Love is God.  To me. 

My Baby

Little Tots is my baby. I currently work for a Family Child Care Provider but will, within the next year, open my own Family Child Care Home called Little Tots Learning Center. I do not know whether I will remain in the Augusta area or migrate to the Houston area where I have family.

I chose family child care because I believe children should be cared for in as close to a home-like setting as possible. I also believe they need to be among their siblings if applicable.

My reason for obtaining my Masters is that I plan to do research in the Early Childhood field. There is much that still needs to be learned about best practices and I aim to get to the bottom of it. One finding I have read up on so far is that mixed-age groupings in child care are beneficial to children and show advantages over same-age groupings. McClellan and Kinsey found that where prosocial, friendship, and aggressive behaviors are concerned mixed-age groupings of children faired better in child care settings. Children in these settings were found to be more prosocial, have better and more friendship relationships and be less aggressive. Research by Bloom found that the "quality of...social competence" was an indicator for academic success in later grades which supports the idea that mixed-age groupings fair better than same-age groupings. More research is needed to substantiate these claims and move professionals in the direction of providing care in the best possible setting for children.

This is why Little Tots is my baby. I hope to advocate for care systems like it-what it will be-and advocate for better care for children from birth to age 5.