working with kids

my experience with kids is almost non-existent. before i got to where i am now, i was at ikea. i did not work in småland but i did work a little bit in the kids department. the only time i had to deal with them is when they came up to me because they got separated from their parents. at the club, i work with the kids. i am learning as i go. of course there are things i'm not aware of or that i forgot regarding working with children. i am aware that i am in a supervisory role. i need to help keep an eye out for things going on on the playground. even though i don't work at a school, i learned at a staff meeting that everyone who works in a childcare setting is held by law to report any suspicions they might have regarding sexual abuse of any student (mandated reporting). before the utterance of those words, i still saw myself as a babysitter. after however, i saw my responsibility in a whole new, scary light. of course, there will be something like this going on in homes that we have to keep our eyes open to. unfortunately, this is the dark side of working with kids.