Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/whats-love-got-to-do-with-it/5010218/
Enjoyment of and pleasure in the behavior and development of young children are critical ingredients in being able to work effectively with them. Indeed, almost all applicants for positions working with children will find the occasion to say at some point in the interview, "I just love children." However, it is worth looking more closely at what people mean when they say that, and to reflect on whether or not it is appropriate.If you think about it, "love" is a funny word to use. Love involves a complex set of behaviors and feelings, and is directed to specific people. We would hope that people, when they say they "love children," really mean that they enjoy working with them. Bruno Bettelheim wrote that "love is not enough." When it comes to attributes of people who work with children, I would go further and say "love is not appropriate." How would we feel about a surgeon who asserts that she "just loves cutting people open!"?
Sometimes, unfortunately, when people say that they love children, there is evidence that they actually mean something else. Sometimes they mean "I enjoy having power over people smaller, weaker, more vulnerable ...