At work I control four 12-18 month old children, three of whom are boys. They’re the cutest things and I absolutely love my job, but they can also be a struggle. My two oldest boys have been drinking the Kool-Aid or something recently because they have been over the top aggressive, whiny, and attention seeking. Most days I don’t even know what to do with them. No matter how much you love kids, there’s only so much crying and hitting you can take. After almost 3 weeks of this I feel like I have to put in a lot of work to stay calm and not get frustrated with them all the time. My last hour on shift today was definitely a struggle and I had stuff to do so I left the kids to their own devices. I was still watching them, obviously, but my bucket was empty and I didn’t have the loving attention to give them that they needed. So this leads me to what I am grateful for today: my coworker Bre.

She works with the toddlers part-time and helps keep me sane. She’s someone I can talk to during my day who actually talks back in a way that doesn’t require a Urim and Thummim. She’s someone I feel comfortable around so I can just be myself and don’t have to use up all my energy pretending. Today she came in with the toddlers during the last hour and sat with all the kiddos while I finished up prepping for some future crafts. She kept them all laughing and happy and gave them the love and attention I felt like I couldn’t. I feel guilty sometimes when I get overwhelmed and can’t love my babies the way they need to be loved so having her do that for me today was huge. I’ve never had a co-worker be like a friend to me, but Bre feels that way and it’s made all the difference in my time at work.