My Connections to Play

Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” Kay Redfield Jamison (professor of psychiatry)

It is in playing, and only in playing, that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self.” ~ D.W. Winnicott (British pediatrician)

 

As I searched to find pictures of my childhood games, I got a feeling of nostalgia. What great memories I had playing hopscotch and double dutch (jump rope) in the summer. I remember getting up really early so that I would have time to go outside and play all day during the summer. Both my parents encouraged me to play and all of the games shown above were taught to me by my older siblings.

Today, children are more absorbed in television, video, iPods, iPhones, laptops, etc. Children of today’s society do not play as much as the children when I was growing up. When I grew up, we played games that were traditional but we also created our own games. What children of today don’t realize is that play doesn’t cost anything. Play is free of charge; therefore parents don’t always have to find extra curricular activities that cost for their children to play. When I was younger my friends and I would collect our few coins put it together, gather blankets, and have a picnic. Now children have to be entertained by movies, electronics, and high tech technology resulting in their brains not free to create. Play, played a large role in shaping who I am today and those memories are imbedded in me forever. Even as an adult, I still love to play, I play with my children, I play cards with friends, I go skating etc. Play keeps adults vibrant and allows us to not take life so seriously all the time. 

Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” Kay Redfield Jamison (professor of psychiatry)

It is in playing, and only in playing, that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self.” ~ D.W. Winnicott (British pediatrician)

 

As I searched to find pictures of my childhood games, I got a feeling of nostalgia. What great memories I had playing hopscotch and double dutch (jump rope) in the summer. I remember getting up really early so that I would have time to go outside and play all day during the summer. Both my parents encouraged me to play and all of the games shown above were taught to me by my older siblings.

Today, children are more absorbed in television, video, iPods, iPhones, laptops, etc. Children of today’s society do not play as much as the children when I was growing up. When I grew up, we played games that were traditional but we also created our own games. What children of today don’t realize is that play doesn’t cost anything. Play is free of charge; therefore parents don’t always have to find extra curricular activities that cost for their children to play. When I was younger my friends and I would collect our few coins put it together, gather blankets, and have a picnic. Now children have to be entertained by movies, electronics, and high tech technology resulting in their brains not free to create. Play, played a large role in shaping who I am today and those memories are imbedded in me forever. Even as an adult, I still love to play, I play with my children, I play cards with friends, I go skating etc. Play keeps adults vibrant and allows us to not take life so seriously all the time.

Relationship Reflection

It is important from the time we are born to have positive relationships in our lives. Throughout my life there have been many relationships that shaped who I am today. There are people that came into my life for a reason and those who remain by my side today.

The first person that comes to mind when I think of a positive relationship is my dear father. He just visited me and I truly enjoyed the moments we spent together. My father brings a sense of comfort to me and what I learned from him is how to deal with people of all walks of life.

Another person that comes to mind that provide me with a positive relationship through my life would be my mother. Having a mother is one of the best experiences I have encountered in a relationship. My relationship with my mother taught me how to deal with conflict and over come obstacles in order to move forward in a positive light.

Another person that comes to mind is a friend whose friendship taught me to love everyone unconditionally, including myself. Through this friendship I learned to be selfless with others and I learned to love myself.

My relationship with my current supervisor is a rewarding experience. I love the way I can express myself with her and her door is always open. She is never above taking suggestions from me or hearing my opinion. Although she is my supervisor she makes me feel like her equal and for that I appreciate her. When she offers constructive criticism I accept it as a way for me to become better because that’s way she delivers the message to me.

There are so many positive relationships I could name, the ones above are just a few that came to mind. It’s important to have positive relationship because these relationships allow for wisdom to share with others. With all of these positive relationships, what all of them included were communication, understanding, and selflessness. All of these things mentioned are important to maintain and have positive relationships.

Lastly, being able to have positive relationships will enhance my connection with children and their families. Having knowledge and experience of positive relationships, I will be able to give families and staff some of the tools that helped me maintain the positive relationships in my life. At the same time, realistically it is not always easy to have positive relationships and it takes work from all parties, knowing this I will be able to offer staff and families support through any challenges that they may face.