Kids, they are arguably the best things that can ever happen to you. While they do require a lot of attention especially in the early stages of life, the accomplishments they make and that you get to witness are more than worth the two hours of sleep a night and the diaper changing fiascos. Just being there to witness them graduate high school or college will make all those other matters trivial compared to what they've led up to. Taking Mrs. Liccion’s class and watching a child in there was an experience I'll never forget for as long as I live.

During my sophomore year of highschool, I took a class called Child Psychology and Development with Mrs. Liccion. The main purpose of the class was to teach and inform us of the development of a child as well as how to take care of the child. It also informed us of the consequences of teen pregnancies and abstinence. As part of our class we would watch kids as to learn how to interact with them properly and we would learn the dos and don'ts of parenting. When I first got my buddy in October, I was ecstatic. He was a little boy named Brycen and he was the nicest and the most loving kid you'll ever meet. He was about knee high to a grasshopper and adorable. At first he was a little shy, but after the first week or so he would run up to me and give me a big hug. After so long of having him run up and give me a hug, I got used to it and then when I was home, I began to realize that if school was still in, I would be getting a big hug that would indefinitely brighten my day. He loved me and I loved him more than he’ll ever know. Since I was stronger then than I am now, I would always pick him up and put him on my back and pretend to take him flying. I believe this was where we bonded the most. Every marking period, the students in the class would have to come up with lesson plans that would stimulate the child mentally, physically, or emotionally. The lesson plans could range from making a “pumpkin” out of a sock, magic marker and hacky sack, then tossing it to teach them motor skills. Or it could be something simple like coloring, spelling their names, building with the blocks and knocking them down, or going outside and doing something in the grass. Brycen would always love to pretend to be a superhero with super strength and that would usually revolve about whacking me with a stuffed animal and me going “flying” backwards. Sometimes it hurt, but after a while I got used to it. Looking back now, I would go through the pain of wisdom teeth extraction to play with him and spend another year with him because he alone was the reason I came to school and enjoyed at least some part of it. The year continued on like this where he would run and give me hugs, high fives and an assortment of other ways to say hi or goodbye. Then when summer came and the class was over, I would go to where his mom worked in the summers and pal around with him. He still gave me hugs and I held him even tighter knowing that I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again.

I realized the truth in you don't know how much you love someone until they're gone, and I did miss Brycen. This experience taught me how you can get attached to people and develop a bond that will last a lifetime. It also taught me how to properly look after and raise children to go down a path that will make you proud.