Surprises About Mentoring
Patty and Lydia have been matched for a little over two years, and what they have to tell us about mentoring might just surprise you.
Patty and Lydia were interviewed at Patty’s home by program director Pam Quinn. Patty and Lydia spend a lot of their time here laughing and eating snacks!
Lydia, What is the best thing about having a mentor?
Lydia: The best thing is having a friend that is a grown up that you can look up to.
Patty, what has surprised you about being a mentor?
Patty: How much I really like being a mentor and what a great experience it is for me. Maybe that’s just because Lydia is so great, or maybe it is because being a mentor is great for everyone, I don’t know.
What would you say to someone that is apprehensive about becoming a mentor because they are not sure how they can fit it into their busy lives?
Patty: Well I thought that, and sometimes I still do feel that way. But what surprised me was that once I started mentoring Lydia, being with Lydia rose to the top of my list of things to do. If two weeks goes by and I have not seen her, I miss her and I want to be with her.”
Lydia: I miss Patty after just one week, not two!
How has mentoring made a difference in your life?
Lydia: Having a mentor makes life more interesting, more fun and opens me up to more options.
Patty: I get to see the world through the eyes of a thirteen year old. I am not thirteen anymore and I feel like I would have missed out on a lot of cool things that Lydia has exposed me to. Mentoring has opened my world view as well.”
Lydia why would another kid want to have a mentor?
Lydia: Because in the program you get to hang out with an adult that has similar interests as you.
Lydia, Have you always been this comfortable with Patty?
Lydia: When we first met, I was shy around Patty, but I am not anymore. I am more comfortable and relaxed around her.
Patty what do you think makes you two so compatible. It seems like you have some similar interests, but you also have differences too?
Patty: We have the same silly sense of humor, and we laugh at the same things.
Patty and Lydia were interviewed at Patty’s home by program director Pam Quinn. Patty and Lydia spend a lot of their time here laughing and eating snacks!
Lydia, What is the best thing about having a mentor?
Lydia: The best thing is having a friend that is a grown up that you can look up to.
Patty, what has surprised you about being a mentor?
Patty: How much I really like being a mentor and what a great experience it is for me. Maybe that’s just because Lydia is so great, or maybe it is because being a mentor is great for everyone, I don’t know.
What would you say to someone that is apprehensive about becoming a mentor because they are not sure how they can fit it into their busy lives?
Patty: Well I thought that, and sometimes I still do feel that way. But what surprised me was that once I started mentoring Lydia, being with Lydia rose to the top of my list of things to do. If two weeks goes by and I have not seen her, I miss her and I want to be with her.”
Lydia: I miss Patty after just one week, not two!
How has mentoring made a difference in your life?
Lydia: Having a mentor makes life more interesting, more fun and opens me up to more options.
Patty: I get to see the world through the eyes of a thirteen year old. I am not thirteen anymore and I feel like I would have missed out on a lot of cool things that Lydia has exposed me to. Mentoring has opened my world view as well.”
Lydia why would another kid want to have a mentor?
Lydia: Because in the program you get to hang out with an adult that has similar interests as you.
Lydia, Have you always been this comfortable with Patty?
Lydia: When we first met, I was shy around Patty, but I am not anymore. I am more comfortable and relaxed around her.
Patty what do you think makes you two so compatible. It seems like you have some similar interests, but you also have differences too?
Patty: We have the same silly sense of humor, and we laugh at the same things.
