My Connections to Play

“Play builds the kind of free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself character that our future needs.” ~ James L. Hymes Jr. (child development specialist, author)

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.”  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (writer)

When I was a child, my mom and dad would always say stuff about what you could do with stuff, such as, " I bet you can build a teepee with those sticks." Or when it rained my mom would always tell us to go cook some mud pie. People loved to see kids outside playing when I was young. I lived down a long dirt road and I would ride my bicycle as far as they'd let me then ride it back. At school, we could play out as long as we wanted. The teachers knew what they had to teach and they got it done and allowed us to play too.
I feel that play today is discouraged. Parents want their children inside at school doing work. They want them to learn everything and they don't understand that these children need to be outside to relieve stress. They can't sit in a chair all day and expect them to learn anything. Also, when I was a child, my parents hardly ever bought us toys, Christmas and birthdays was about it. We always played with what we had. We played with pots, pans, utensils, sticks, dirt, mud and anything else we could find. Children are so dependent on technology and toys these days that it's crazy. I have to admit even my daughter knows how to work my ipad and iphone better than I do. I have started teaching her that she doesn't need a toy everytime we go to walmart though and that we're not even going to look. Children have forgot how to make due with what you have and they are drawn away from sticks and mud and pushed towards phones and ipads and toys. It makes me sick honestly because my childhood was SO FUN! I didn't have anything but it was fun. I got up every morning since I was probably 4 or 5 with my dad to help him milk. I enjoyed working! That has followed me through adulthood. I worked hard all through high school and all through college. Children these days are going to grow up thinking they can just sit on a phone all day and not do anything. I played all kinds of sports in high school. I thought of it as play even though it was VERY hard work. It was fun for me. I still play today, I love being outside and I feel that when we clean up brush and stuff, that is play to me. Anything I find fun is play for me. We sometimes go out to eat and go to walmart or shopping. This is a type of play for adults in which I greatly enjoy!
Play is very vital and people need to step back and see how it has changed from past to present!

Relationship Reflection

I find relationships to be an important part of my life! I've been married and divorced already because he was an untrusty man. Relationships must have trust, even with children! I have been married now to a man for 2 years and we have had no trust issues at all. He is one of the main relationships in my life. We don't have children together, but I have a child and he has a child. He fathers my daughter and I mother his son. The next relationship I want to talk about is with God! I have a close relationship with God and I trust him and turn to him in time of need. I let him down time after time, but I know He will always be there.
I have great relationships with my coworkers in our Early Childhood Center. We go out to eat on a monthly basis. We have gatherings at eachothers house. One coworker in particular, I hang out with all summer. Our daughters play together and have a great time. I can tell her anything and she can tell me anything and we trust eachother with it. I feel that if I worked in a place where I disliked my coworkers, I would dislike my job. I love my coworkers and they make my job so much more fun! They are always there to help anytime I need anything. We are a team. We never try to outdo the other, we always share our ideas and learn together how to better our children in our classrooms.
My family has to be my number one relationship. My mom and dad are the best people I've ever met. My daughter is so in love with them, we visit them at least twice a week. They help me with her anytime it is needed. They live on a farm so anytime she is sick and can't go to school they are able to keep her. My sister is one of my best friends also. She has two little boys and one is the same age as my daughter. So they love to play together.
I have the best friends EVER! In high school, they were my best friends and we are still best friends and we hang out once a month at eachothers house and cookout. There are 7 of us. Only one is far away in New York and we skype with her when we get together. It is rare that you find people still being friends after being out of high school for almost 8 years. But we are even better friends now than we were when we were in high school! Almost all of us have children now and get togethers are so fun with our little ones.
I feel that I am a trustable and a fun loving person. I can keep a secret. I am not judgemental. I am a good advice giver. I feel that I am a good friend and a good person.
One relationship that I enjoy having is a relationship with each of my students parents. I add them as my friends on facebook and I get to know their child through social connections first. Then, throughout the year we gain trust and build our relationship. I allow them to have my cell phone number and text me throughout the day if needed. I enjoy receiving texts from parents. I feel that the more I know about the parent, the easier it is to understand the child. I feel that I am close to each parent of children in my room. This relationship continues to grow and then I have personal relationships with them. This also helps me to enjoy my job. I'm not sure what I'd do if I had parents that didn't appreciate the type of relationship I gain with them. This makes my job so much easier when I can just text the parents to ask a quick question.
Relationships are a crucial part of early childhood. You must build a relationship with the children, the parent and your coworkers. Your job is made easier by each of these. You build a positive relationship with the students and they will enjoy coming to your class. You build a positive relationship with the parents and they are able to trust you with their children and have no fear of them coming to your class. You build a positive relationship with your coworkers and they will help you anytime you need it! I feel I have it made with my relationships!