Sometimes I feel like a rock and the children are the limpets clinging on to me for hugs. :tongue:
I'm fine with the hugs, but I'm not sure how I can explain to 6 and 7 year olds that it's not professional for me to hug them back too much because they won't understand the wider implications of that kind of thing or even what professionalism is.
It's a weird situation to be in as I'm not used to having to tell children not to do something like that. But I can understand why the rule about not being too familiar exists.
But I get hugs all the time? If a fight breaks out or someone gets hurt or someone is just missing their mum, they cling to me like little gold nuggets. Patting them on the shoulder or giving them a cuddle when they are hurt is a good thing. Can't exactly reject them, can you? I say this but alas, it's none of the children I actually get paid to work with who give me hugs
except for one boy, but he hugged me because I let him play games with my kids so it doesn't count. I've had other relief teachers and parents ask if so and so is my child because they flog around me often. I'm good with kids that way, it has happened on occasion that they would call me 'mum' by accident. But I'm a mum myself and I know my place. I wouldn't do anything that I wouldn't want other caregivers to do with my kids.
I'm also thinking of making a list of all the questions/observations that my special needs kids have asked. Like "why do they cut off the head of the chicken? Why not leave it on and just cut out its eyeballs?" Um I dunno m'boy, maybe bdcause nobody is so hungry that they'd eat a chicken's head? ROFL
