I looked into it when I was living in the Denver area but at that time, I was uncertain what my future would bring ,and thought the year long commitment was too much. Once I knew I would stay in the area I just got too busy with life and work to wanna be involved. My brother and his wife had a little brother in their area. I knew that they had a good time with him. And I also knew that my brother was getting more and more involved with the program, so I always had joining on my mind. When I moved out to the middle of nowhere small town Oregon it was one of the first groups I called to see about signing up with. I was swiftly informed that they did not cover my area, so I guess that was that. When I moved back into the Seattle area one of the first things I did was call em, did all the interviews, and in a few months I got Michaela, my very own little.
I have always really liked kids. When I was in high school I worked as a summer nanny and also I worked at the kids club for a local athletic club. The last year I was in Denver, a good friend asked if I wanted to move into her basement and part time nanny for her three kids while living for free. I loved those three kids and I still miss em all the time. I have a nephew who lives in another state. I have some nieces that are still pretty young and until recently didn't do much interacting I. I watched them a few times a week and found it so exciting watching them grow and develop into toddlers. My best friend doesn't have kids yet and most of my other close friends don't either. So I didn't have a ton of little kid exposure in my adult life other then a few times. When I sat down with the little sister people and had my 1st interview, I told them that I wanted someone older then 10 because I think I do better with the preteens. I had a rocky preteen life and felt that I would have the most to offer that age group.
When they called me and told me that they had a match in mind for me and she was a 7 year old, I was a little freaked out. I met her and she seemed quit but she also seemed nice. I was really nervous for our first outing. We went to the park I remember, and she was this engaging active happy kid who wanted me to swing with her and let her eat my cotton candy. It was a really fun day and seemed easy enough. It took a few visits to find a rhythm with her and her mom, as to what she liked to do and when we could do stuff. It was weird to sorta be an outsider, not really knowing I matter in her life at all and where my place really is. But she was pretty easy to hang out with, because she was so enthusastic and happy doing anything at all. A few weeks in we had an all day trip to the zoo that ended up being a blast and I knew that by that time all was ok. A few months later she had to move into another house and her mom told me that Michaela told her "we have to make sure Martha knows our new address so she knows where to pick me up at" This hit me as such a defining moment becuase here was this 7 year old, who has the attentiuon span of a fruit fly, taking the time in her brain to make sure I know where they live. If I didn't think I mattered any, this sure shows me how much I do.
From that day forward we have really built a great relationship. She now asks a lot of the time for things that she specifically wants to do with me. For example I knew that she was dying to see the girl movie and asked me mom more then once if I could take her. Also I know she asked her mom if she could invite me over to play Wii with her one day. I try to balance fun stuff with not as fun stuff such as homework and the library. I hear from her mom all the time that she says things about me when I'm not around. Just tonight when I went to pick her up her mom told me that as they were buying her a new coat she said "Martha is going to love my new coat" her mom thought it was so funny that she just randomly thinks these things. I find it so awesome.
I am glad that I have spent the last year getting to know this amazing 7 year old (now 8) and finding a way to incorporate her into my life. I hope that she will get to be a part of it for a long time to come. People might not understand how important my relationship with Michaela is, because she is this happy go lucky 8 year old sweet kid. But someday she might realize that parts of her life suck, and I just hope that she'll use me as a friend and let me be around for her if that happens. So tonight we went to the paint your own pottery place where she helped me make a cat bowl and she made a ice cream cone. And afterward we ate grilled cheese sandwiches and fries while walking around the U Village until we stopped and got a cupcake. It was great fun and a wonderful way to spend a evening. I am so happy that I got to do it with Michaela.
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