Kids We Love: Rachel’s Heart of Gold
Rachel has always been a sweet, sturdy, sometimes timid little girl. She trudges into Buddings after her mother, clutching her baby doll in her arm and peering out shyly from behind a lock of curly hair that falls into her eyes. “Hi Rachel,” I say, squatting down to her level. “Do you have your baby with you today?” At this, Rachel breaks into a brilliant smile. “Yah!”, she agrees softly.
I remember Rachel’s earlier Buddings days. She surveyed her surroundings with large solemn eyes. Baby was always nearby, carefully wrapped, or snug in a stroller. When Rachel played at the play dough table, Baby sat next to her on a chair.
Not long ago, Rachel became an older sister. But that is not the only change I see in her. Now, she marches through the Buddings gates, her mother following close behind, carrying Rachel’s infant sister Elise. Rachel talks proudly about taking good care of her sister, just like how carefully she tended to her baby doll.
And it’s true. Rachel has such a caring soul, even more so now that there is baby Elise. Sometimes the things she does are so small that they can be easily overlooked. For instance, after taking Rachel to the potty and wrapping up her diaper, I turned to find her helpfully opening the lid to the dirty diaper receptacle for me.
There are other things she does, though, that warm my heart even more. Toddler mornings can be chaotic, especially when we have new buddies joining us. They don’t know that they are safe, and Rachel’s nurturing thoughtfulness springs into action. “Let’s go find you a tissue and wipe your nose,” I suggest to one sad child. Without missing a beat, Rachel appears beside me, holding a tissue out to me.
I attribute these small acts of kindness to Rachel’s newfound sense of purpose as an older sibling but, of course, she wouldn’t be inclined to do these things were she not sweet and sensitive by nature. She listens, even when you are speaking to someone else, and tries to give you exactly what you need in that moment. We are so lucky to have Rachel here to remind us that our intentions always matter, regardless of how small an action may be.
