This summer I took on a job that gave me no end of joy, running the Summer Reading Club at my local library. I created programs and crafted and played and read with children all the day long.

I was surprised by the high numbers of participants in our program over the summer. I have lived near this village for twenty five years, and I have run programs at this library while bringing up my children, but I have never seen such high numbers for the library programming. The library had more children than we have ever had before.

I had a fine selection of children every day. Not huge crowds, to be sure, because we are in a pretty small village, but a good pile of kids every day. Families with three or four siblings, friends on bikes, kids being dropped off to pick up books and DVDs, doted on visiting grandchildren, local children bicycling over because they were hot and bored, and children from families that were new to the region, and even new to Canada.

All the children were a delight, at first participating quietly and earnestly and gradually warming up to laughter and smiles and calling me over with ‘Ms. Meg, Ms. Meg’! Sometimes I put the tent up outside and spread out a blanket with toys and crafts. We had bubbles and kinetic sand and crafts under the tent. It was the busiest summer I have ever spent, and also the most peaceful. We made straw spaceships, paper plate spaceships, and created paintings and collages of planets and the moon. We made slime and space glitter and played many games of Black Hole Frisbee out on the grass. You can guess that the provincial theme for the Summer Reading Club was ‘space’!

Once a week I took my bag of books, felt stories and simple crafts over to the busy daycare and spent a few hours with a pile of excited, sweet faced children who would enthusiastically do my craft. Each time I visited a different child would show interest in the felt story collection so I would spend time with that one child while the others careened around us. I was impressed with how well the little children read, at only 6 or 7 years old. The child would carefully read the story from the book while moving my cut outs on the board according to what had happened in the story.

It was lovely to be too busy to care about the news. It was lovely to have a job and make a bit of an income. It was lovely to feel that I was making a difference and had some useful purpose in this world. Seeing the world from a child’s eye, it was impossible to be bleak and pessimistic. Children lean towards happiness, they have hope and dreams. After all, this is the beginning of their lives, this is their world and their precious childhood.

Whatever we teach them now, it will have echoes later. It was an honour to know that my words and my work might be forming precious memories of carefree summers for the children. And I was delighted to see how well the children treated each other. I never saw any unkind behaviour, and no racist or classist comments either. It is possible that the children that hang out at a library in the summer are the cream of the crop, but my observations were the same at the daycare.

These were thoughtful and intelligent children. I saw children take the time to include a child who was not as coordinated during an outdoor game, I saw children sharing their rewards and treats, I saw children making sure another child had a chance to win a prize. I saw a civilized collection of little souls doing their best and it honestly gave me hope for the future.

If you spend anytime on the internet you know, we all know, that you will find the worst representation of mankind. The ideas that are expressed, the way people argue and call names, everything is uncivilized and stupid. Even sensible people find themselves behaving rudely on the internet. But is it real? No, it is not. It is a hellish simulacrum of our society, and not a true representation.

Spending time with children will give you a whole different impression of humanity. I had two families visit the library that were new to the region, and Canada. The children were polite and thoughtful; watching, learning and adapting as fast as they could. If these children’s families stay in our region, and I hope they do, these kids will grow into east coasters: they will have a good sense of humour, they will be appreciative of the good life, they will be polite and keep their opinions to themselves, and they will always be available to help others and pitch in.

So while the world raged, and fears were fed and nightmare images spread across our minds, I was protected by real life. Every day was a bright new day and I had a job. I had children waiting for me. I had games and crafts to plan and coordinate. I had children calling me, and searching my eyes for answers.

I spent an afternoon or two making outrageously sticky slime and then helping the children get the goo off their hands. I would take the little hand in mine and tell them, ‘Don’t worry, it comes off’, and I would gently and calmly wipe off the goo while they left their hands trustingly in mine.