Also, I want to put this out there:
I attended an event recently and crossed paths with a colleague, who was with their young child. I was glad to see both of them since I didn’t know anyone else in that space. I’ve actually met their child pretty often. They stopped by my desk at work, and I’ve handed their child some of my snacks. He’s a good kid. Very worldly and perceptive.
Anyways, my colleague asked me to watch him for short periods of time. I took their child to get a small snack and water in the next room over, following his parent’s wishes. I was tasked to keep my eye on him here and there. My colleague wasn’t that much older than I am, and I feel like they saw me as a peer and a responsible adult for the first time in a very long time.
It’s honestly so needed to have my self-worth and goodness acknowledged independent of my labor and the capital or reputation I generate as a result of that.
While everything has gone so wrong lately it is nice to have someone implicitly trust you because of who you are.