Kids everywhere

An interesting cause took me to the primary school this morning. A cause I chose, a cause I like, something I enjoy: dealing with children. This time I will be with them for two days, camping in Alpa Puyo. That’s why I went today, to meet them.
We arrived and silence ruled in the school. When the bell rang it was as someone had announced that there was a bomb in the class! Everybody, from everywhere started running, shouting, feasting that the bell had rang! I could see balls, stickers, Cokes, cookies, lollipops. We were strange for them so they started asking us why were we there, who we were and then they told us to go away because we were ‘invading their school’!! Confidence was easily reached and those little creatures started bothering us… But I still like them.

Calmness again, but after some minutes we all met on the back yard. We presented ourselves, the teachers explained them what we were doing there, and the games started. After a while of playing ‘Pato Ñato’, running, and jumping like frogs, we were free to do whatever we wanted. Those little creatures started running everywhere, unstoppable, taking us from one side to the other. Then they ‘caught’ us and a big group hold us from our clothes, hands, legs, and took us to ‘jail’. Whenever we tried to escape, we were caught again! Then they wanted to do some running competences, so I had to run for a while. They never got tired!! I was impressed by their unstoppable activity and unexhaustible energy! A little girl was holding one of my hand, another one the other, and then a third one shouted: ‘She’s mine! Don’t touch her!’. The three of them pulled me to different sides, while I explained them: ‘I’m of the three of you! Don’t fight!’. And then, another one, holding my leg! It was a mess!! But how I enjoyed it… I love kids, I love looking at them, happily playing, with any worry, any fear of reality. Just playing and enjoying the present time.

I wonder if we were the same when we were six years old… Yes, definitely. We would run from one side to the other, we would jump for a whole hour, and we would never get tired. We would play until long hours, we would talk, and talk, and talk. And when someone with more experience than us, but being just the same as us, with only some years more, would come and have fun with us, we would all be holding him or her. And then thinking about that different and funny moment we spent together, looking back to going camping as sooner as possible. Yes, I know we all got out from the class like these kids did today. We all played hide and seek at school, we all run every time it was possible. We were just the same! And we are the same as we were some years ago, but now we have more things to take care about, we have less energy, we think more about all we do… and we get tired easily. We feel shy about talking to strangers, we feel there’s no leader that can guide us, we can manage ourselves, the world is ours. But it is not.

I’ve seen myself in all those kids running, laughing, talking, shouting, kicking a ball. I’ve seen my past there, jumping like a frog, and doing exactly what the teachers asked to do. I’ve seen myself, my little girl, inside of them all. And I’m looking forward to go camping with those tiny devils full of happiness, energy, confidence, love and innocence. I won’t sleep on Monday, but I’ll have such a good time… (I hope so…)


Vale Becker