3 Weeks In

Well, I feel like I've been there forever, but I've only been working at the Tyler Place for 3 weeks now. Time there goes by so strangely. You're with the same kids for a week straight and then the guests rotate and you say good-bye to those kids in the morning and meet new ones in the afternoon. Because of this weeks go by slowly and events at the beginning of the week seem so distant at the end, but they also go by quickly because of the quick rotation. It's very strange.

This is going to be a quick post as I have to head out for a run and I told myself I HAD to go by 5:30. First, a quick explanation of how TP kids groups work so you'll understand a little somthin' somthin' in the rest of this. The age groups are rough. I'm not exactly positive, but it'll give you a good idea.

In the "Playhouse" are the Junior Midgets (2 1/2 - 4 years old)

In the "Clubhouse" are the Senior Midgets (4 - 5 years) and the Juniors (5 - 7ish years)

In the Inn are the Seniors (7 - 9 years), Pre-Teens (10-12), and Teens (13-16ish)

Like I said, the age groups are rough.

This is my second week in a row counseling in the Senior Midgets. Being in the Clubhouse for the second week is really nice. The first week gave me the opportunity to get comfortable with the way that things worked and this week I felt like I could step up a little and not completely rely on counselors that have worked at TP before. While I did work there last year, I'm a complete newbie at counseling.

The kids have been fun. This week I've been working a lot with one in particular that had a hard time with being away from his parents. He's still a little reserved around the other kids, but there have been a lot of improvements from the first day, which is encouraging.

On another fun note, Friday is my birthday! I'll be putting on my dancing shoes (aka cute new flip flops from TJ Maxx, one of the best places on earth) and chillin' with the guests at dance party tomorrow night. It's the first one I've been able to go to all year, so I'm quite excited. Expect pictures.

I'm not exactly sure where this blog is going to go this summer, but my picture on the SMC Bloggers homepage says I'm a counselor, so I'll tell you all about TP. As my friend Adam said though, it seems to just be a story about my life. I am a SMC Blogger, so please, any questions about St. Mike's and whatnot are completely welcome. Not being there makes it hard to talk about it, but I'm sure I could come up with something with a little push in the right direction!