There was one time recently where I had to really step up and be a leader. About a month ago, there was an event at my job. This event is solely sponsored by donations and is ran by volunteers. Parents can pay a set amount and bring their kids. We give them pizza, the can go swimming, play games, do crafts, and at the end they watch a movie and wait for their parents to come get them.

After the kids all ate, we were trying to get them to quiet down so we could line them up and take them to the pool. The kids were screaming and yelling, pushing and shoving, and none of the staff was being loud enough for the kids to hear. So, I yell. Loudly. Not in a mean voice, but in a stern, authoritative voice. The kids quiet very quickly and get into the line. I tell them they all need to be nice and quiet or they weren’t allowed to swim.

From that point on, all the other staff was coming to me with problems. This kid is crying, this one hit his brother, she spilled her juice, what should we have them do next… So I had to figure it out.

Once the night was nearly over, most of the kids fell asleep while watching the movie. When their parents came, they were so grateful that they had the night to themselves and could now put their child right to bed. The kids who were still awake raved about how much fun they had. Even though it was stressful for me, I’m glad everything went well.