My Connection to Play

 

“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” -Kay Redfield Jamison

“I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things… I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind.” Leo F. Buscaglia

I remember having so much fun as a child.  I was the youngest of four children and we were all very closed in age.  There was always someone to play with.  My parents of course bought us many fun toys, but they were more about playing things with us then spending money on material things.  My parents always let us explore things.  They weren't over protective and always telling us no and that we could not do things.  They let us be creative and think of fun things to do with each other around the house.   We spent a lot of time outside.  We would ride our bikes, draw with chalk, build forts, play baseball and run all around the house.  We would play outside all day.  We would only be allowed to come home to eat or use the bathroom.  We stayed out until bedtime.  I feel that play is so much different today.  There are multiple reasons behind this thought.  Technology has taken over the lives of children.  Yes I do agree that technology is an amazing tool in teaching children and giving them different options to learn, but there are negative aspects.  Some parents tend to use technology as a babysitter for their children.  A lot of parents are extremely busy and put their children in front of a tv or computer.  Another reason I feel this is happening is because the world is so unsafe.  There is so much crime today and bad people that want to hurt children.  When I grew up, my parents didn't have to worry about us being kidnapped or anything like that.

Ever since I was very young, I LOVED babies.  I always had a baby doll that I took everywhere with me. I liked to take care of my babies.  I always wanted the dolls that came with diapers and pretend food and bottles.  Playing with the dolls made me realize how much I loved kids.  As soon as I was old enough to babysit, I did.  And to this day I still work with babies every day.  I just can't get enough of them!!  Through play I learned what I was good at and what I loved.