"My Connections to Play"

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing".
-George Bernard Shaw


"Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning...They have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play." -Fred Rogers 9Mr. Rogers' neighborhood)

Essential play items for myself as a child were dirt and the outdoors. Growing up in the seventies in southern Arizona, I spent most of my days playing outside either with myself, siblings or the neighborhood children. We lived in a small town surrounded by desert and numerous warm days. It was a time when parents had few concerns about letting their young children roam freely around the neighborhood. It was not uncommon to ride your bike down the street, walk to a nearby store or play hide-in-go-seek with most of the children that lived on your street. I remember having sleep-overs in the backyard, building forts in the nearby desert, and playing games in each other's yards. When a parent needed to call a child to come home, they would just stand in their yard and call out their name. Someone in the neighborhood would know where "so and so" was playing and get word to them that their mother was calling them home.
It was truly a time when children were allowed to have large amounts of unrestricted playtime. I literally remember finishing my chores in the morning and running outside to play. We would spend the entire day outside and come back in starving and dirty just as it was getting dark. After dinner and bath, we passed out from exhaustion that was brought on by all the physical activity we had enjoyed all day long.

Today play for most young children is very different than how it was when I was growing up. Despite research showing how important free-play is to the overall development of young children, free-play has been greatly reduced due to many factors. Children may be raised in a family where both parents work, or from a single-parent family where there is little time left in the day for unrestricted play. Others may been too involved in structed sports, or clubs. Still others may live in areas that are too dangerous for children to be left unattended (Ginsberg, 2007).

Play and downtime have been an important part of my life both as a young person and now as a parent of young children. It is so easy to get caught up in a hurried lifestyle, especially these days. However, a life with too much structure and little freetime, leads to increased stress and depression (Ginsberg, 2007). My husband and I can always tell when our children have had too much of anything and need to decompress or just "chill". We have made it a point to not "over-schedule" our children's lives, in order for them to have time to just enjoy being a kid. As a family we try to keep the joy of not taking oneself too seriously alive, and to enjoy the simple things in life (Almon, 2002). Just this afternoon, I was having tea with my four-year old and our dog (who was dressed in a tutu), and my six-year old was battleing several dragons that were attempting to enter his castle.

References

Almon, K. (2002). The vital role of play in early childhood education. Gateways, 43. Retrieved from http://www.waldorflibrary.org/Journal Articles/GW43almon.pdf

Ginsberg, K. (2007). The importance of play in promoting healthy development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics, 119(1), 182-191. Retrieved from hppt://www.aap.org/pressroom/playfinal.pdf

Relationship Reflection

This space on my blog is dedicated to my family. Pictured in this photo is my husband, myself and our four children-Taylor, Rocco, Jack & Christine. My family means everything to me. We are a very close family that support each other, and make daily efforts to show how much we cherish and value each other as individuals and also as a family unit. Personally, I make sure my children hear everyday, how much I love and cherish them. My husband and I are truly a team, trying to raise our children to be thoughtful, thankful, and caring individuals. We encourage our children to do their best, but also understand we all make mistakes. When mistakes happen, it's just one of life's ways of telling us to try it another way and keep going. I never take for granted all that has been given to me-a supportive and loving husband, four beautiful, healthy and happy children, a wonderful place to live and loyal and supportive friends.

Starting relationships with others is usually fairly easy. It's maintainin those relationships that take time and work on part sides. For instance, when I met my husband it was easy to get to know him. We met on a beautiful beach in the Virgin Islands many years ago. He was playing croquet on the beach and I was enjoying a frozen drink with my sister. I was down in the islands running a summer camp program. He was down there having fun for the summer. We spent our days playing on the beach, exploring the islands and just enjoying everything life had to offer. The following year, we were married and the reality of life and having to work harder to maintain and expand on our relationship began. It was not long before we realized the carefree life of the "summer romance", was just a distant memory. We spent the next few years, learning how to enjoy each other, without the daily trips to the beach and nightly visits to the local clubs.

It was not long before the new mortgage began, and the babies started arriving. It was at this time our relationship, went from two newlyweds, to new parents struggling to get by with little sleep and more bills to pay, and even less time to think about those long lazy beach days and frozen drinks of days long gone.

 Currently, we are in the "just beginning to rise out of the trenches" stage of our lives. Our youngest child will be starting school next year. I'm finishing up graduate school, with hopes of bringing more income to the family, but also working more hours in the near future.
Through it all, my husband and I have learned to lean on each other. Of course we have had our differences and always will. However, we have grown to respect each other in many ways. We value each other's opinion, support each other and cherish our time together. I know I could not be the parent I am without my partner, my husband. Our extended families do not live close by, therefore we are literally raising these children without any outside help. However, we seem to really "get it". The evidence is clear in how happy and well-adjusted our children are. They are polite and mannerly and seem to love my husband and I very much. Of couse, we all have our moments, but we all know and feel the love and care we have for each other. This support has helped us through some trying times, and will continue to do so as our road to life continues.
My close relationship with my family has and will continue to impact my work as an effective early childhood professional. Everyday, I begin my day with a prayer thanking God for my family and my blessings. I also ask for guidance in helping me to be the best teacher I can be. It's important to me that I have a postive impact on every young child I work with. During these critical formative years, I have learned through my postive relationships, how important it is to really listen and show compassion to all those around me. Every child has something positive to offer the world, and it is my job to help bring out those passions and dreams.

Tutu Garden