My Connections to Play

Play Quotes:

 "A child loves his play, not because its easy, but because its hard." -Benjamin Spock; pediatrician and author

"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

Play Items:

Basketball is the sport that I love. I have been playing basketball since grade school and played while in college. I am a true fan as I continue to follow this sport. Playing basketball has allowed me to make life long friendships with my close friends.

Easy Bake Oven as I love to cook and eat. This is where I first got my first start to cooking especially chocolate chip cookies!

 Circle of friends. My friends are so important to me. My closest friends have been my friends for over half of my life and we have been through so much together. I think of my friends as my sisters.


The support that I received as a child was from the supportive adults within my family, school staff and those who assisted me in sports, Girl Scouts, Orchestra and etc. I have always been active in activities that not only benefit me educationally but in other activities such as; basketball, softball and Girl Scouts. With these activities, I have been afforded to learn the life lessons of discipline, teamwork and dedication.

My parents supported me both financially and also provided me with encouragement by attending many of the activities that I participated in. My parents continue to be my most active supports and have taught me to never give up.

Play today is so different as children are more sedentary as they are more prone to watch television and play videos without the benefit of exercise. I have observed that children play outside less and have less friends as the television and video games are the new "friend." I remember that as a child, I was always outside playing sports and childhood games with the other children on our entire block. Now, I see children playing alone or streets are vacant of children's presence. I look at my mom's neighborhood and realize that there are almost no children on her street.

Relationship Reflection

Relationships and partnerships are important to me as they provide a deep connection with others that I feel is built on several key life values. These values include: trust, respect, love, loyalty and stability. These values can also be considered as special characteristics that maintain one's relationships with others. The aforementioned values or special characteristics are important to me as they each play an intricate role in each individual relationship that I have. I value each relationship and feel that each relationship is responsible for me being the person that I am today and the better person that I am becoming. Such relationships include: my parents, my brothers, my nephews and my close friends.

My parents and I have a great relationship as I can easily talk to them at any time and about anything. They have helped me grow into the strong, loving, intelligent and respectful woman that I am today. I visit and talk to my parents daily. The relationships with my twin brothers is unique as they were my first introduction into caring for children. Although, they are only three years my junior I continue to be the overprotective big sister. My relationship with my nephews is special. I do not have any children biologically and these two hold a special place in my heart. They actually inspired me to further education and obtain a Master's. They bring so much joy and life into my life while bringing out the big kid in me. My close friends and I all have a special relationship as I do not have any biological sisters but they are considered my sisters. These friendships have been established from two to twenty-two years; we have gone through everything together and continue to. I consider my friends my fictive kin.

I have found that developing and maintaining relationships can be difficult as interaction with others including dealing with different personalities, strengths and weaknesses of others. Having shared interest usually bonds people together as well. In my personal relationships, I feel that communication or lack thereof and change are challenges in developing and maintaining relationships. Communication is key in life and in any relationship, yet; relationships are continuously being severed due to miscommunication. I have observed that when some people commit to change of any form in their lives, others are not accepting of that change and relationships are also severed.

My experiences in my relationships and partnerships with others impact my work as an effective early childhood professional by allowing me to utilize the values that I was taught as a child and incorporate them into a well-trained, knowledgeable and professional environment that I will be afforded the opportunities to assist others.