My Connections to Play

Growing up in Queens, New York, I was always encouraged to play outside, not only by my parents, but by the many friends I had in the neighborhood. If my parents noticed that I have been in the house past a certain time, they always suggested for me to go outside to play with my friends, sometimes even shoving me out the door (smiling). My parents influenced my love for playing by sometimes even coming outside and playing with me. We would play board games outside, jump rope, hide and seek, I Spy, or sometimes just take a walk around the block. My parents nurtured my ability to learn through play, without even knowing it. My most fondest memories are with my parents when we would play outside together. During these moments, I saw a side of my parents that I loved, the fun side. I also learned, during these moments, that my parents can be as big of a kid as I was, and that was okay. 

In this day and age, the term play has taken on a whole new meaning. In this generation, the term play refers to someone being "dissed", or insulted, or sitting in front of a computerized game, an iPad or video game. During my childhood, to play meant to run around outside, go hang out with friends, go rollerblading in the neighborhood, jump double dutch, jump hop scotch, or anything else that required exercise. During my childhood times, obesity was much more along the lines of endangered, where as now, it's more like an epidemic.  

The three quotes below simply define how play holds a vital role in my life and the lives of our young children. The first quote is a prime example of where 'play' resided my life, hidden. My husband is the biggest adult/"kid" I know. He loves to play his video games, loves when we play wrestle, and is always playing jokes on me. The second quote clearly defines why I found his jokes and his love for the video games so un-laughable. During my teenage to young adult stages, I lost my love to play. I was much more concerned about so many other irrelevant things, that I lost what it meant to truly have fun. The third quote reflects my thanks that my parents planted that seed of what it truly means to play and have fun, as later on in my marriage, I regained my ability to play and have fun. Now...he tells me that I play to much...(smiling).  

My hope for our young children is that they will redefine the term 'play' and appreciate its true definition before they too find themselves growing old because they stopped playing. If children understood the in depth truth of what it means to 'play' then obesity would decrease, children would learn to expand every aspect of their development, and become much more appreciative of the simple things they do have, as opposed to the expensive technological gadgets that they believe they deserve. 

My Representation of 'Play'

"In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play" - Friedrich Nietzsche, German Philosopher

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

"It is a happy talent to know how to play" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Below are two essential play items that I loved to play with as a young child. 

                             
Double Dutch Rope                                                       Board game called Sorry

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are essential in life. At some point, people develop relationships with people of all walks of life. It just so happen that I developed a relationship with a man who was born in the same hospital as me, one year apart, lived in the same state as me as a child, lived approximately 15 mins away from me and never knew him, shared the exact same culture, views and values and never met until I moved to Georgia, at the age of 20. This man is now my husband of three beautiful years. Outside of the fact that we share so many similarities in our lives, we established a Secure and positive relationship. We made it a mission to communicate with one another no matter the situation. We build each other up and sharpen one another in our times of need. Despite our efforts to maintain this positive relationship, there is no perfect relationship. We have our disputes, but have established such a dedicated, strong, influential and positive relationship, that we have learned, and are still learning, how to overcome those trials and move on. My relationship with my husband gets me through me day. He motivates me to be true to myself in all aspects of my life. He pushes me to strive for the best and to give my all, while reminding me that he is right behind me, supporting me as I go. Another positive relationship I have is one with my parents. Growing up in a nuclear household, both of my parents played an active role in my life and everyday endeavors. I have learned so much from my mom and dad and I am truly grateful to have such a strong and positive relationship with them both.