Nate & Kate...Plus 8

Whenever Nate and I go somewhere new and introduce ourselves, we always get a chuckle.  "Nate and Kate, huh?  Like the TV show?"  Hahaha.  No.  First of all, it was Jon and Kate and second of all it didn't end all that well and we have higher hopes than that.

However, in the past few weeks we have acquired 8 children, give or take one or two.

It all happened a month and a half ago.  A harried member of our bishopric interrupted Sunday School, asking for a couple to volunteer for an hour to help in the senior nursery (yes, apparently we have a junior and a senior nursery) as the assigned couple did not show up.  You could hear the crickets in the room as people very carefully avoided eye contact with the bishopric member.  Nate and I looked at each other and figured, why not?  It was only for an hour until the next couple came in, right?  So, like the naïve young couple we are, we volunteered.

Did the next couple come for the last hour of church?  I think not.

And the primary/bishopric found their next victims.

We have not been called to nursery.  But for the past month we have been subbing.  Our class is for the 2 and 3 year olds and we usually end up with 8 kids.  It has been quite and adventure and has taught me that I do not have the requisite energy to follow in octomom's footsteps.

It has also taught me the following things about 2 year olds:

1.  They don't know how to play nice.
2.  Their attention span doesn't even last 20 seconds let alone 2 minutes.
3.  They already know their gender roles.

For point three, I have a rather interesting example that makes me ponder nature vs. nurture.  I mean these kids are little.  How much socialization regarding gender roles can they have yet?

There is a massive toy box in the nursery room that is padlocked shut.  At 11:15 we open the box for play time.  The first week I was surprised that there were very few "girl" toys in the box.  Mainly just action figures, cars, trains, and a rubber snake.  The kids love the rubber snake.  They love to attack each other with the rubber snake.  They love to attack the teachers with the rubber snake.

Well, everyone seemed happy with the lack of dolls, barbies, etc. in the toy bin and who was I to say anything?  I'm just the sub.

Two weeks ago, though, things came to a head.  One of the little girls came up to me with the snake.  I was pretty sure I was about to get eaten alive, as that is what usually happens.  When she started to hand me the snake I asked her if it was eating me.  She said, "No, it's a baby."

Okay, that did it.  We had to find our girls some dolls.  No more carrying fake reptiles around and pretending they're cute little babies.

One of the moms was in the nursery with us and she said there used to be some dolls in a bin on the very top shelf of the nursery closet.  So I investigated and a few minutes later I found the dolls.  The bin was rather small but it was packed full of about six dolls and their bedding.  Well, the two little girls we had in nursery surrounded me instantly when they saw the dolls.  Within minutes, the snake's mommy had her doll tucked into bed and the other little girl (who is the 6th of 7 children) had her five dolls tucked into bed.

In my month of subbing nursery, I have not seen those little girls so content to play.

Then the first little girl said she needed to go to the store with her baby but she didn't have a car seat.  Wow, she will be a really responsible mom, if she's already thinking about that at her young age!  I told her to pretend the bin was a car seat which she did, and she went on her merry way to the store, baby safe and sound in the car seat.

Meanwhile, the boys were still playing with their cars, bouncy balls, and action figures, causing horrific crashes with the cars and hitting each other with the balls.  Just being happy, rambunctious little boys.

So it makes me wonder, nature or nurture?