My Connections to Play

“Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play.”

Henri Matisse
French painter
1869–1954

“Play, while it cannot change the external realities of children’s lives, can be a vehicle for children to explore and enjoy their differences and similarities and to create, even for a brief time, a more just world where everyone is an equal and valued participant.”

Patricia G. Ramsey
Contemporary American educational psychologist

When I was younger my parents supported me a great deal when I had my play time. My mother would sit at the kitchen table and allow me to cook special meals for her as if I was at a restaurant. My famous dish was soup, which as nothing more than dish water that I poured in small bowls with a plastic spoon. I remember when my dad would come home after working offshore for two weeks at a time and he would sit and play with me for a few hours. We would make all kinds of things out of play-dough and often used my mother’s cookie cutters to make different shapes. It was a way for us to bond and spend quality father and daughter time and I truly loved it. I used to love to play with my magic troll dolls and pretend that they were a huge family in a vacation house in Florida. I would use the tub as my ocean, popsicle sticks as surfs and I would imagine that they were surfing on the waves in the ocean. Play was extremely important to me growing up because it allowed me to express my imagination without and boundaries. My parents have always stated that I was creative and full of life and I am glad they allowed me to express that.

As a child I remember everyone supporting childhood play. In elementary school my kindergarten teacher would allow us to dress in costumes and when often played games to learn the letters of the alphabet and numbers. She incorporated play into our learning time which I feel is very important for young children. In a way I believe that play is similar in some ways that I remember when growing up. Teachers are still engaged in learning and the understand play is needed in order to enhance a child’s learning ability. For example, some teachers have attached songs to help students remember their time tables or help them remember a part of history. I remember my teacher telling us “Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in the year 1492”. By her rhyming blue and 2 it helped me remember the year he discovered the “New World”. My hope for the future is for the states to give teachers some breathing room when it comes to standards, and allow their love for teaching and a child’s love for learning to shine through.

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because I believe it allows to me to have a healthy normal life. I take pride in all the relationships that I have with my husband, parents, siblings,friends and co-workers. Above is a picture of my co-worker who recently as of this year became my friend and a great workout buddy. Because of her I have  found the energy to put my health first again and I thank our wonderful friendship for that. Relationships can help to ease the pain of grief, give you extreme excitement through events like wedding or the birth of a child, or (like me) allow you to realize what it really important in life and help you reach that goal. I currently have positive relationships with my husband (Jonathan), father (Phil), mother (Carmalisa), sister (Yaka), nephew (Dillon), brother in law (Gershom), best friend (Pam), and my newest buddy (Tara shown above). Included in this list of positive relationships I can not forget about my four legged children Mia and Lucky because I do feel strongly that dogs bring great joy to human lives.

My husband gives me the push that I need every day to complete my goals and he never forgets to tell me how much he loves me and how proud he is of me. My parents sacrificed so much for my sister and I growing up and education was always something they pushed for. My mother decided to go back to get her degree when I was in the 8th grade and I admired her for that. My parents remind me that it is never too late to try new things and have supported me in all of my endeavors. My sister and brother in law or my comedian when I need a good laugh. My sister has always been there for me and even though she only has a high school education I am so proud of her for where she is today. My nephew is that little spark of sunshine that I love. The day he was born I felt that my heart had melted and I love him as if he was my own. Even though I am his aunt he gives me the greatest support out of my entire family because he always makes sure that Nanny's "homework" is done. Pam has been my best friend for 16 years and she has seen me at my best and my worst and she loves me just the same. Tara has been my biggest fan since my journey on living a healthier lifestyle. She has helped me to be open and honest with myself and I love her to death because of that. That is why she is pictured above, she helped to realize that although I focused my energy on work, family, and school that I deserved to put that much energy into myself.

In life we all have faced challenges in relationships with family as well as friends. Yes aunt so and so comes to grandma's house every year for Christmas every year with her drama but you must find a way (if possible) to make the experience positive because you may be the support that she needs. My mother's sister used to drive me crazy with the stories (lies) she would tell about how much money she had and how people were beneath her. I thought she was rude and inconsiderate until I realized that she was looking for attention and acceptance for what she did not have. One day I told her that although I did not like the way she acts from time to time, that she is family I still love her. Since then she is not as boastful with her comments and has learned how to say the words "thank you" when someone does something nice for her. With all of the positive relationships that I have I know it will assist me with building and developing working relationships in my career as the years go on.