What kind of person are you?

[zoomama]

as a single mom with one adopted son, i wanted to be the one to raise him, not send him off to daycare so someone else could spend most of his waking hours with him. i've always loved children, and started babysitting my younger siblings at a young age. from there i went on to babysitting other ppl's children, and somehow, i've spent much of my working years in child-related fields. being an organized and efficient person has certainly helped with maintaining a sane, enjoyable environment in my home/dayhome. when i read other threads on various topics, i am struck with how much i relate to the way of thinking of so many other providers. i am strict, the rules are the rules, but am also very affectionate and loving with the children. they respect my rules and the way things are done, and i know they love me back. a person that does this career, and enjoys it, is probably usually highly organized, has a genuine love for young children, can be strict but silly too, does not feel that spending time with very young children "dumbs you down" (i've heard that and i strongly disagree!!), is somewhat of a natural "teacher", and has reasonably good social skills (a must for dealing with parents!).
that's IMO