My Supports

My Supports

The Important People In My Life

 

 

   As a child, I was not aware of what support meant being that I grew up in a family who really did not show affection in the household.  I was never rewarded on my academic achievements in school or when I participated in extracurricular activities.  I lived in a very unhappy household so I did not know the meaning of "support".  It was not because that is how my parents wanted it to be, let's just say, some things are just not meant to be.  My sister and I experienced our parents divorce at ages 13 and 12 and it was always unpleasant moments from the both of them.  Anywho, besides that, thanks to the positive people in my life, I now know the real meaning of support.  A few supports that I have within my daily environment now consists of my co-workers, my family, and myself.  My co-workers support me through advice forums to let me know that just because I am a single mom, I still can be successful and become whatever I may choose to be if I set the goal and follow through.  They always encourage positivity in every aspect and have pep talks with me to keep me striving.  My co-workers always get me to see the bigger picture when I am stressed or feel like giving up.  My family supports me now more than ever because I am in school.  They always make sure to keep my daughter when I ask them to with no complaints or even expect anything in return.  I admire their support greatly, because I missed out on it within my childhood.  My family believes in me more than I believe in myself at times and that motivates me to take that extra step.  Most importantly, I support myself to the maximum.  Even when I do not feel confident in myself on occasions, I have to snap back in motivation mode and get back on track.  I support myself  greatly because I can confide in myself to keep moving forward, encourage myself, and have faith in knowing that hard work pays off.  If I did not have support, I would not be working towards a master's degree.  I would not be sane enough to handle my full time job, along with my daughter and being a full time student.  Supportive people and or things shows you that you are cared for and someone is looking out for your best interest.  Everyone needs support.  Without support systems, we do not have grounded emotional and mental health.  If I did not have support systems, I feel as if I am disconnected from the world.  It is good to share experiences with others and interact with them on social levels.  Support systems should be what someone wants and need for the reassurance.  It does not make you weak because you need a support system. We all need them!

My Connections to Play

ITS OK TO BE A KID AT HEART!!  EVEN IN ADULTHOOD

As a child, my sisters and I would play with whatever materials that were in our surroundings.  In single parent families,  it is somewhat hard to get children every toy that they plead for and for some reason we did not care if we had toys or not!  We used our imaginations for everything!  Two quotes that pretty much compresses my childhood explains how play molds a child for success as well as the importance of using creativity and your imagination. 

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

Henri Matisse
French painter
1869–1954

"When children pretend, they’re using their imaginations to move beyond the bounds of reality. A stick can be a magic wand. A sock can be a puppet. A small child can be a superhero."
Fred Rogers
American children’s television host
1928–2003

Those three items that I have chosen, all symbolize responsibility.  I enjoyed dressing my barbie up and combing her hair to make her pretty.  I enjoyed the swing set because it was adventurous.  A child can do multiple things on it.  That is what makes it special.  A child could never get bored.  The cash register allowed us to create our pretend grocery store and exchange money and goods amongst each other.  My parents allowed my sisters and I to play as much as we wanted, because most of the time they did not want us lingering inside the house all the time.  They even would come out and play along with us just to make us feel special.  They would play games, swing with us, teach us how to swing bats, and bounce basketballs.  All of this sculptured fundamentals in us as children.

During my younger years, playing outside was an absolute must.  O gosh if it was a rainy day, my siblings and I would have a yucky day.  My mother loved the fact that we always wanted to be in the outside atmosphere, where we used our imaginations for everything!  In society today, I feel that children linger more on the inside now that crime rates are higher and because parents buy all the high tech devices.  (PSP's,  Nintendo Ds, Play Station, Wii, X Box, Kinect, Ipods; you name it)  Most children would rather stay inside with the video games rather that burn energy on the outside.  I sometimes wonder if this apprehends the child from being creative or imaginative.

In the aspect of play, we must realize that play allows children to interact with the world around them.  They learn how to work in groups and negotiate conflicts eventually.  They also can learn decision making skills and see what areas interest them most.  Even as an adult, I am a kid at heart.  I love humor and I love to be in comfortable atmosphere.  A little play allows adults to do that.  Do you agree?