Leah U

This summer, I spent my days nannying my two next-door neighbors, Rosie, who is four, and Geo, who is six. I had previously worked at and ice cream shop and a golf course in the summers before. While that had good moments, they still felt like working. Nannying, however, was different. It felt like I was getting paid to have fun.

Our days consisted of trips to the zoo, the pool, the library, the fair, as well as mini golf, movies, playgrounds, and more ice cream shops than I can even count. We spent too much time listening to the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack in my car, which unfortunately will probably be at the top of my Apple Music Replay at the end of the year.

More than anything, Rosie and Geo taught me how much I love to be around kids. They taught me responsibility, patience, negotiation, and how important it is to be present in the moment. Rosie was so incredibly honest, and she would make sure to tell me when she thought my nails were too long or when I was having a bad hair day. But, she also told me that she loved me everyday and that she wished we could be sisters.

I was able to shadow Rosie's speech therapist. Rosie went to work on the letter “L”. By the end of the summer, she was great at saying my name, “Lllllleah.” Seeing Rosie's speech excel as well as going to her appointments made me become quite interested in pursuing a carrer in speech pathology in the future. Although Rosie and Geo are all the way in Indiana and I am in Georgia now and can not spend everyday with them anymore, they showed me how much I genuinely enjoy working with children, which is something I am very grateful for.