My Connections to Play

My Connections to Play

-          Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.

-          O. Fred Donaldson

          

-          Children at play are not playing about. Their games should be seen as their most serious minded activity.

-          Michel de Montaigne, French essayist, 1533–1592

                When I was younger, play was the best time of my day. I had a lot of support in regards to play, because the town that I grew up in, I had family members all around me. Many of my cousins were around my age; therefore we got to play each and every day after school. I can remember times when I would not be feeling well; my Mom would encourage my cousins to come over anyway, just so that we would have our time play together.  A very important factor while growing up was family. We learned from a young age that we were to always get along and play cooperative with one another.

                Today, in some families, I can see the similarity of the way that I was bought up and how kids are bought up today. Many of my friends implement the same values in their families, whether it is between siblings or relatives.  We were taught that no matter what you were to show love for one another, although at times you may have felt that we were not going to speak to one another for week. We were taught not to go to bed without resolving the issue. Come to think about it, it was almost like a marriage. I hope to see more and more families implement this type of values in their families. It’ll teach children to get along with others and eventually to understand and accept each other as an individual.

                I can say that the values instilled in me as a young child, has actually carried out in my adulthood. To this day, none of my relatives believe in holding grudges with one another. We may disagree to disagree at times, but we will definitely have our play time – where we laugh, joke and enjoy life.

                       

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**Relationship Reflection**

"Human relationships, and the effects of relationships on relationships, are the building blocks of healthy development" (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000, p. 4).

Krystal - My Mother

Although, my Mother was a single parent she has always been tentative to all of my needs. She motivated to go to college and succeed and make something of my life. She molded me into the self-driven woman I am today. With working two jobs at times, my Mother was always there in more ways than one. From PTO to helping the school put together fundraiser events to Parent-Teacher conferences, my Mother was always there in some way, little or big, to show me how much she cared through her involvement in my school activities as well as my home life.

Dr. Margaret - My Grandmother

From being my grandmother to being my elementary school principal, my grandmother has always been supportive of all of my scholastic efforts. She has always told me that I could be anything I wanted to be in life. I have watched her oversee my elementary school as principal, as well as run her own large family which includes 7 children, 32 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. She is the reason why I decided to pursue this degree in Education. Her ambition and drive is all of the motivation I needed.

Kerri - My Aunt

Since my mother’s baby sister and I are only 12 years apart, I was always known as her “mini-me.” I guess almost like a “kid sister” – wherever she went, I was there, should my Mother have to work late nights. She told me that when I was younger, she considered me to be her “human baby doll.” She said she loved to dress me up in different clothes and also making sure that if we went out to a store we were dressed alike. My aunt was extremely overprotective of me and would not let anyone tell me anything that she thought was unjustifiable. She still tells the story of how when she went to college she cried the entire way there because she knew that it would be a while before she saw me again as if I were HER child. My family finds this story extremely funny to this day, and each time the entire family is together, someone will bring this story up. My aunt and I are extremely close and to this day any major decisions I have to make, besides my Mother, I make sure that I run it past my Aunt as well!