My Connections to Play

“The very existence of youth is due in part to the necessity for play; the animal does not play because he is young, he has a period of youth because he must play.” Karl Groos (German evolutionary biologist)

 

“The activities that are the easiest, cheapest, and most fun to do – such as singing, playing games, reading, storytelling, and just talking and listening – are also the best for child development.” ~ Jerome Singer (professor, Yale University)

 

My parents were very supportive of play.  I grew up in a rural area with my five siblings, lots of nieces and nephews, and cousins that lived next door.  Several of my school friends also lived nearby.  The neighborhoods were safe to the point where we never locked our door.  We were allowed to play all day and we actually enjoyed it.  My parents would come out with us at times and play kickball or basketball or watch us ride the bicycle and so forth.  Overall, they probably got lots of alone time because we were outside all day which gave them a break as well.  Play today is definitely different!  My oldest son will sit inside all day and play video games and watch TV if I allowed him to do so.  I make it a point to take my younger children outside daily to allow them to get a sense of how I grew up.  They love to play outside and go to the park.  I even allow them to go in the backyard and play alone with one another so that they can use their imaginations or figure things out without me there to step in.  Play is still the same in that children love only need a few items to enjoy themselves.  They are happy are long as they are loved and shown attention.  My children love it more when I chase them around the yard than they do playing with some toy. 

 

I am thankful to have grown up in the era that I did.  We were a generation that respected and feared adults.  We were honest and communicated with one another by calling them on the phone or going to their door and asking their parents if they could come out and play.  However, I do appreciate  the convenience of technology and make it a point to learn about these things because my children are growing up in a technological era.  With that being said, I still teach them the importance of respect and allow them to have play dates with their friends at a park or some type of physical play. 

 

 

My 3 favorite items as a child: a bicycle, kickball, and a tree.  As a child I rode my bike everyday.  On the weekends my siblings and cousins would play outside all day.  We played kickball all the time which was a blast because there were enough of us to have teams and we used the telephone poles (which were in the perfect locations) for bases; and  the yard was huge, so plenty of exercise.  I was a tomboy, so climbing trees was a must. 

 

 

 

 

 

Relationship Reflection

The relationship in my life that is of the most importance is my higher power, then my husband.  It took a lot for me to reach a point where I could trust a relationship again, because I dealt with a lot in my previous marriage.  Once I began to converse with my husband over nine years ago, I knew that he was a good man who would one day be my husband; but most importantly I could tell that he was a man who loved the Lord.  Having a positive, loving, and trusting relationship is very important to me.  I love being in a relationship because I have a lifetime companion with whom I can discuss my deepest fears, concerns, and dreams.  I can also be myself with him like no one else.  My husband/partner constantly challenges me to be the best that I can be even when I want to give up and keeps me in check when I get whiny and start to feel sorry for myself.  He also helps me to see things from a different point of view without being condescending or aggressive when I am so "passionate" about certain issues.  It is important to me that I have someone that I am still very much in love with and with whom I can be silly, have an intellectual conversation, or just sit in silence comfortably.  We have always had the chemistry, but reaching the point of understanding and fully respecting one another took communication, discussing common goals, and working towards them together.  Now we have three beautiful children that we can raise in a happy and loving home while teaching them to be respectful and kind to others and productive members of society.

The next relationships of importance are my children.  The reason why I have them listed in this order is because I was taught that the husband is to be placed before the children.  Eventually your children will grow up and leave your nest; therefore it is important that I maintain my strong connection with my husband.    Many couples end up divorcing after the children leave the nest because they no longer have anything in common.  Even though the children will receive most of your attention (because they need it), it is still vital to stay close with your spouse.  I love my children dearly and one of the very important things that I have learned is patience.  Before having children, I was intolerant of misbehavior from children and pretty much thought they were just snot nosed little brats.  If I was in a store and saw a child screaming over a toy or yelling at their parents...the list goes on, I would always say that the child could not be mine.  Now that I am a mother, I have respect for all mothers!  Children will be children and the important thing is to love them unconditionally, teach them right from wrong and to follow through by remaining accountable to your word.  I have many friendships and relationships that are positive, but the ones of my family are the most important.

In my opinion, when the relationships in the home are secure, everything else falls into place.  The fact that I am a mother of three little boys ages 12, 3, and 15 months, helped to raise many of my nieces and nephews, and a volunteer at my church with the infants through fifth graders provides me with the abilities to be an effective early childhood professional.  I have to deal with the parents constantly when checking the children in and out at church.  That type of communication with the parents is definitely not like some of the professionals in my classes but I am gaining the experience while traveling as a military spouse and a full-time mother.