Ode to Mago
- rileywise
- Nov 25
- 2 min read
My second child just finished two years in the infant-toddler program at APS. She bonded deeply with her teacher Margarita, or Mago, as she is called at school. My own first job in early education was in a “baby room,” where at 23 I was a primary caregiver to three infants. I developed deep bonds with my babies, and was even inspired to name my first daughter Frances after one. But more enduring than the bonds I developed with the babies were my relationships with their parents.
Back then, my commute to work was an hour subway ride each way; my babies’ families lived close to our school and often brought me over for dinner after work and made a bed for me on their couch. In the morning, I’d walk right back to work and spend the day with my babies again. I benefited so greatly from their generosity–they took me on family vacations and fed me– and even more from the intimacy of being woven into their daily lives. But I was young and I didn’t really understand why they went above and beyond just contributing to my salary.
Today I do. The greatest benefit in my life as a parent is my child’s deep relationship with Mago. The balance their relationship affords me in my life–one that allows me to participate fully in my own work, think my own thoughts, exercise freedom and autonomy in my body–fills me daily with so much appreciation and respect. It's this appreciation and respect that I received as a young teacher without knowing exactly why.
Our children’s caregivers make our lives possible on a practical level, but also on a much more intimate, tender level, the place that allows us to function in our lives with a deep sense of trust and safety. Many days I feel a well of gratitude for Mago and I long to express it. Here is my attempt to return some of the love and admiration, this debt of gratitude, that I feel for her contribution to my life.
Keep posted for Ode to Mago part two: An Interview with Mago!