My Connections to Play

Play, Play, Play........ Have you played today?

Growing up all I can remember was playing. Being raised in the city, most of my play was in the  home. I would make my mother and aunt play store. I was always the cashier. I would also dress up play dress up and have a fashion show when my cousins would come over. This is a picture of my two girls playing dress up.

 Coloring and drawing were my favorite things to do. Although my parents brought me many toys to play with but I never really liked to play alone unless is was with my Barbies and my dollhouse. This is a picture of my girls dollhouse. Mine was not quite as big. I held on to it until I was far in my teenage years. At my dad's house, him and I would ride bikes, play at the playground and work on cars. Although we were engaging in fun, it was also our bonding time.

 

 

  I am a only child but I have hundreds of cousins. We would gather at my grandparents house on many occasions. They lived on a farm with more than 50 Acers of land and it was near the water. We would go outside and play for hours. Some of the things I remember doing was playing hide and seek, red light green light, tag, rely racing, catch, dodge ball, monkey in the middle, and baseball. We would climb trees, go fishing, catch insects, and make something out of anything.

 

 

 

This is my daughter playing with butterflies that we watched grow and set free. I too love to catch butterflies.

 

My cousins and I didn't let the weather stop us. We would play in the rain and jump in mud puddles as long as it was not lightening. When it was snowing we would build snowmen, make snow angels, go sliding with anything we could find around the yard and have snowball fights. When nightfall came we would catch lightening bugs, make campfires and sit around them with marshmallows  and tell stories. In my grandparents house, we would play board and card games. Believe it or not we still do many of the things listed above today. My grandparents are no longer living but we still meet at their house regularly for great food, entertainment and most of all playing.

 

 

I think my family as a whole played a vital role in how I played. Because I come a extremely large family and even tough I am an only child, I can not pin-point one person in particular. My mother and father always supported play. They separated when I was two but remained friends and raised me accordingly. At the age of three, I was placed in a learning center. This was not the norm for children my age and background but my parents felt that this was the best place for me to grow, learn and play. Other friends and family my age were either at home or at the babysitters until they were old enough to attend school.  I felt my mom and dad were always in tune when it came to how and what I did whether it was sports, music, or just hanging with friends. Being around so many cousins who were older and younger than me also was important in how I played. We got into fights, took turns sharing, expressed our feelings and opinions, listened to each other, cried together, and laughed often. These things were all imperative ways that supported my playing and developed  me into the playful teacher and mother that I am today!

Always remember................