My Connection to Play

These quotes reminded me of play when I was little:

“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning” –Fred Rogers

“Play is the beginning of knowledge” –George Dorsey

 

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation” –Plato

“Play is training for the enexpected” –Marc Bekoff

My dad was always gone due to his job but my mom and grandma always encouraged me and my sister to go outside and play.  We would stay outside for hours exploring but we never left the yard unless mom was with us. We would ride our bikes, go for walks, roller skate, jump rope and even go to the park or the beach.  I remembered when I was in the second grade, we had to do experiments for school and my mom and I created a color wheel and that is how I learned how to mix colors together to make another color.  We did not watch TV much, when I was little but in today’s world TV is the biggest baby sitter for some children. 

As I got older, I did not go outside as much because my mother became a single mom and had to work.  She would not let us go out unless she was home, but I still was learning while I was staying inside. I learned how to wash clothes, clean dishes, and even taught myself how to cook.  When I became a mom I continued to learn by taking care of my children, playing with them and watch them learn.  

 

 

Reflecting on Building Relationships

Building a successful relationship is a big part of life with family and with friends which in my eyes all starts with trust.  If can’t trust others than you will have a hard time believe what they have to say and cause some doubts. Another part of having a successful relationship is being able to understand one another regardless if you agree or disagree.  We all have difference of opinions and at times even misunderstand what someone else is trying to say.  I have not had the best supportive or positive relationships in my life.  The top supportive and positive relationships I have had have been my mother, children, and my husband.

 

My mother has been there when I needed a shoulder to cry on or just to have someone that will listen to me.  My mom has always listened to me and will give me her advice but she would always say, “I may give you advice but you are the one that can either take it or leave because you are the person in charge of how you run your life.”   

 

I am 39 years old and my son will be 21 next week, my daughter is 19, and my youngest daughter is 14.  Being a teenage mother and having to grow up fast, my children have taught me how to be patience, strong, and confident in everything I do in life.  I have become the person I am because of my children and with their support I have completed a BA in early childhood education.  Going back to school took some time away from my children but they encourage me to continue because this was something I have always wanted to do is teach young children.  This also showed my children that it is never too late to go to college and get the degree you have always wanted.

 My husband and I lived together for 8 years before I agree to get married again and now we have been married for 1 year.  In my previous marriages, they were not successful relationships because I could not trust which cause me to doubt them.  My husband was also previously married and has two children of his own.  With all the challenges we both have experience with our previous relationships; we decided to work on trust and learn to understand each other before we decided to make it final.  Bringing two families together brought some challenges in our relationship and as the years went on we both have become stronger, understanding, and even closer in our relationship. 

I believe that the best practice is the experience we all go through in life.  Our experiences or past relationships will only help us to build a better relationship with others.  As an early childhood professional I firmly believe building a strong effective relationship is the key to unlock opportunities for parents to become more involved with their child development and education.