The Lessons of My Lolo and Papa: How Childhood Experiences Shaped My Nursing and Childcare Career
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As I reflect on my journey through nursing and early childhood education, I often think about two remarkable men who had a profound influence on my life: my Lolo and my Papa. Long before I became a nurse, a childcare professional, and an advocate for child-led learning, they were teaching me lessons that would shape my character, values, and approach to caring for others.
Many of the skills that I rely on today were not learned in a classroom. They were learned through everyday experiences, outdoor adventures, hard work, and the trust that my Lolo and Papa placed in me as a child.
Growing up, childhood looked very different from what many children experience today. I learned to ride a bike, climb trees, swim in the river, help with household chores, and participate in physical work. I spent countless hours outdoors exploring nature, creating adventures, and learning through firsthand experiences.
Some of my most treasured memories involve building huts from banana leaves and branches with friends and family. We would gather materials, design our own structures, solve problems, and work together to create spaces where our imaginations could flourish. We also learned how to cook outdoors using real flames. Under the watchful eyes of adults, we gathered wood, built small fires, prepared food, and learned to respect both the power and usefulness of fire.
These experiences may seem simple, but they taught me invaluable life lessons. They developed my confidence, creativity, problem-solving abilities, resilience, and independence. They taught me how to assess risks, make decisions, and take responsibility for my actions.
When I climbed a tree, I learned how to judge which branches were strong enough to support me. When I swam in the river, I learned awareness, caution, and respect for nature. When I cooked using real flames, I learned responsibility and safety. When I built huts from banana leaves, I learned teamwork, perseverance, and innovation.
Today, these experiences would often be described as risky play.
Risky play refers to exciting and challenging forms of play that involve uncertainty and managed risk. Research in early childhood education shows that risky play helps children develop physical competence, self-confidence, emotional regulation, resilience, and critical thinking skills. Contrary to common misconceptions, risky play is not about exposing children to danger. Rather, it allows children to learn how to identify risks, make informed decisions, and develop the skills necessary to keep themselves safe.
Children who are given opportunities to engage in age-appropriate risky play often develop stronger judgment and greater confidence in their abilities. They learn what their bodies can do, how to solve problems, how to manage fear, and how to recover from setbacks. These are skills that cannot be fully taught through direct instruction alone. They must be experienced.
As I entered the nursing profession, I realized how deeply these childhood lessons had prepared me for the challenges of healthcare. Nursing requires resilience, adaptability, critical thinking, and the ability to remain calm under pressure. Every day, nurses make important decisions that affect the well-being of others. The confidence and problem-solving skills that I developed through childhood experiences helped me navigate the complexities of patient care and professional responsibility.
Later, when I transitioned into early childhood education, I found myself returning to many of the principles that my Lolo and Papa had unknowingly taught me.
The Montessori philosophy emphasizes practical life experiences, independence, responsibility, and learning through meaningful work. Children are encouraged to participate in real-life activities that build confidence and competence. When I see children helping prepare food, caring for their environment, or completing tasks independently, I am reminded of the many responsibilities my Lolo and Papa entrusted me with as a child.
The Reggio Emilia approach views children as capable, competent, and full of potential. It values curiosity, exploration, collaboration, and learning through relationships and experiences. The freedom I had to explore nature, build huts, solve problems, and create my own adventures reflects many of the same principles that Reggio Emilia educators embrace today.
Both philosophies recognize that children are not empty vessels waiting to be filled with knowledge. They are active participants in their own learning. They learn through exploration, discovery, experimentation, and meaningful relationships with people and their environment.
My experiences have strengthened my belief that children need opportunities to take manageable risks, explore the natural world, and develop practical life skills. While safety is always important, children also need chances to challenge themselves, test their abilities, and experience the satisfaction that comes from overcoming obstacles.
Today, as a childcare professional with a nursing background, I strive to create environments where children are trusted, respected, and empowered. I encourage them to explore, ask questions, solve problems, and develop confidence in their own abilities. I believe that some of the most valuable learning happens when children are engaged in meaningful experiences that connect them to the real world.
The lessons my Lolo and Papa taught me continue to guide both my personal and professional life. Through bike rides, river swims, tree climbing, outdoor cooking, building huts from banana leaves, household responsibilities, and countless everyday adventures, they helped shape the person and educator I am today.
Their legacy lives on in every child I encourage to be curious, independent, resilient, and courageous. They taught me that children are far more capable than we often realize, and that sometimes the greatest lessons come not from instruction, but from experience.
For that, I will always be grateful to my Lolo and Papa.
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