My Connections to Play

"The very existence of youth is due in part to the necessity for play;  the animal does not play because he is young, he has a period of youth because he must play"-Karl Groos

"Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play"-Henri Matisse

I have to first start out by saying how much fun this assignment was for me.  I just had a conversation with my mom about a month ago about some of the things I used to play with and they have saved almost everything!  I was so excited to hear that and I wanted to share some of my favorite memories with all of you.  I included more than 3 pictures, but I just couldn't stop!  I never realized how much stuff I had when I was  younger and I feel so grateful for it now.  My parents were huge supporters of my play.  I don't remember them playing with me, but they allowed me set up tables in our basement and some of my baby doll stuff in another area and I could just play and play away down there all day without interruptions.  My extended family were also supporters of my play because they would give me more of the things I loved to play with for my birthdays and at Christmas time!  Again, I feel so lucky as I look back on this. My brother was born when I was almost 5, so eventually he would play with me as he grew older and he was a great sport about playing with "girly" toys.  The last group that supported me as I played were my group of girlfriends that I met in kindergarten.  I remember going to their houses and they would come to mine to play the day away. 

The play that I participated in when I was younger definately shaped who I am today.  I would like to think I have good social skills and this came from years of playing with other children and my siblings.  I always remember being able to have free time to play and I was never forced and I have a strong belief that is how play should always be. I also feel that my early play shaped me for the career I am in today with children and understanding their love and need to play.  I also have developed a love of travel and I think this was also learned through years of play and using my imagination to go places.

I do see some similarities to the things I played with as a child to the things children play with now:  baby dolls, play houses and Barbies.  Children are still playing with these and acting out what they see in real life.  There are a lot of differences though too.  I see very few children playing outside like I used to and if they are it is usually with some kind of electronic device in their hands.  Children also watch way more television now than I did as a child and for a lot of children this has taken away their time to be out playing and enjoying their childhood.  I would hope that all young children are able to experience the kinds of wonderful play opportunities that I was able to have as a child and also still go outside and get a little dirt on their clothes and enjoy the great outdoors.

 One of the my most memorable items that I played with was Precious Places.  I loved to set up the houses, buildings and roads and leave them for months on end, returning to them as I wanted to play. 

I was a huge fan of Pee Wee's Playhouse on TV and I remember loving to watch the show and play with his house.  I don't even remember now what the show was about.

 I was a huge fan of baby dolls and I played with them all the time growing up.  I started with Cabbage Patch Dolls and I got one of the babies below when I was a little bit older. 

 I had two apple trees in my backyard growing up and while we didn't have a huge yard at all, my parents let me take some of my baby dolls and their play things out there. I loved to be outside when I was younger and I loved playing underneath those trees.

 These last two items, Barbie and Samantha, I got when I was older than 5, but I just had to put them on there.  I loved to play with Barbies and I loved to dress Samantha and comb her pretty hair. 

Relationship Reflection

My boyfriend, Shawn and I have been together for almost 6 years.  He is wonderful and supports me in everything I do.  When I wanted to go back to school for my Master's, he was the one encouraging me to do it the most because he knew how badly I wanted to and how much I enjoy working with young children.  We have grown up since we first started dating and through multiple deployments we have learned how to be strong, independent people while gaining important communication skills along the way that has enhanced our entire relationship.  Deployments also taught us what really matters and counts in life and we actually count that as a blessing that we learned through these deployments. We have just recently started to travel and it has really forced me to go outside of my comfort zone and learn about the world around me and I love him for that.  He is my companion through all things in my life.

My family has always supported me 100% in everything I do.  My dad and I were very close when I was young and my mom is still one of my best friends.  They have both taught me the value of hard work and that is why I'm where I'm at today in my career.  My brother and I have always been close and since growing up and moving out of our parent's house, we still maintain that closeness and we actually both work for MWR through the Army at our local military installation.  My family has always been big fans of sporting events and I really think there are values to be learned through sport competitions.  The biggest two are teamwork and respect and I've applied those to my career working with children.  The picture below was taken before our first Packers game at Lambeau Field....what an awesome experience!!!

My sister and I have grown closer and closer as I grow older.  She is six years older and moved about 8 hours away when I was young, but with cell phones and skype, we are able to communicate on a regular basis.  She has 3 beautiful girls and I love to spend time with them when I can!!  She is a wonderful mom and still works full-time and I strive to be like her someday when I have my own children.  I have seen through her that you can have a balance of a career you love and still be dedicated to your children and husband.

The three ladies below are my girlfriends from college and we have still remained close even after graduation.  It is harder now that we are all so busy, but we all email and facebook regularly.  We may actually get all 4 of us together on the same day in a few weeks....a rare feat!!  Two of the three are education majors and teachers as well and those same two gals are working on their Master's right now too.  Anytime I have education related questions, these are the girls I go to.  We have also supported each other through weddings, births, and other not so pleasant experiences.

The last relationship that I cherish is the one with my best friend, Leann.  We've known each other since grade school and went through middle school and high school together.  We went to different colleges, but could always pick up right where we left off whenever we saw each other.  Our families are close too and I don't know what I would do without her in my life.  She is my support system when things go wrong and she cheers me on through everything.  She went on vacation with my boyfriend and I in January and we made so many more wonderful memories!  It was awesome to have that experience with her.