“I sometimes arrive without much energy and with too many health worries weighing me down but by the time I leave I feel good, having chatted and been a listening ear to the mums, dads, nannas and grandpas who have been at Playgroup that day.”
“I need to have a bit of a rest after I go home from Playgroup, but I go home feeling much better about life and my purpose for being here.”
“Sorry I’m late. It was hard work getting out of the house today, but I wouldn’t miss coming. I feel so much better and able to tackle the hard bits after my morning at Playgroup.”
“The chats I have with the other helpers, after all the families have left, are very special. I know there is a group of people who really do care about me and my situation.”
These are typical of the comments made each and every week by the team of helpers who come to Playgroup. Having time with the different generations who come to Playgroup is time to forget whatever else is on our mind and be in the NOW with these families. Many of them have no family and we become their ‘family’. They thank us for just being kind and a listening ear. They thank us for doing what we are asked to do as followers of Jesus! It’s a great time to share stories, to nurse tiny new babies while mum does the craft or spends time with her older child, it’s a time to play and engage with a child and be silly because no one cares about what you look like and it’s especially a time to enjoy the special moments as you watch a child walk for the first time or say their first few words or share a ‘high 5’ as they leave because they have had so much fun.
Age doesn’t matter in this environment. Building relationships with families and the other helpers is vital to keeping us healthy in both body and mind. It doesn’t stop the years from passing by, but it definitely prevents us from getting ‘old’!
Chris – Tuesday morning Playgroup team leader