Daily Supports

MY SUPPORTS.......

Supports are things or people who hold up or serve as a foundation for someone or something. A support keeps something or people in position keep them from falling. Supports are very important. I can honestly say that without the support and supporters in my life, I may slip or even fail from completing daily tasks. 

My supporters are my husband, mother, and two sisters. My husband is the bread winner. He makes sure that everything in our household is in tack. He works very hard so that we have food and shelter. Recently, we gave birth to our second child. He took off work to take care of me. After the birth of our child, he went back to work. What makes me smile is that even in the wee hours of the night, he gets up and tend to our newborn, and yet he is on time for work each day. What a man....

My mother has been my backbone since the day I was born. At age nine, when my father passed away, she worked very hard to make sure all my needs were met. Even today, as we live seven houses down from each other, she yet make sure that my household is OK.

My two sisters, both older than I am, supports my husband and I by babysitting our children, running errands, and being on call for any tasks that we may need them for.

The benefit of my supporters (husband, mother, and sisters)  is life is easier for me. Keep in mind, I did not say easy, but easier. I can always rely on them. Without their support, I would not be able to successfully complete daily routines at home or at work. Having them as supporters help me to go to work with no stress or worry. 

I thought about a life altering challenge of not having a home to live in. I would need my mother and sisters to assist my family with a place to live. My mother and sisters would under-gird by providing a place to live for me and my family. The benefits of the supporters that I have is that they have several pieces of property and they are financially well. Without the existence of my supports, I am sure that I would not be a successful individual.

Childhood Connections to Play

My Connections to Play.......

                                      "When you PLAY, PLAY hard; When you work, Don't PLAY at all." 
                                                                                                         - Theodore Roosevelt

                                                                          "Today, Make time to PLAY."
                                                                                                    - Na'ama Yehuda

My Mom, Dad and Classroom Teachers supported play for me when I was younger by allowing me time to play each day  at home and at school.  All of my play activities at home were directed by me. At school 75% of play time was directed by me (recess); 25% of play time was directed by Classroom Teacher (Physical Education Teacher). I played every day.

These days, children still play at home, probably the same way I played at home. Play was self initiated and self directed. Play at school is totally different from when I was in Kindergarten through 6th Grade. While in elementary school. We had 3 opportunities for self play. That was morning recess, lunch recess, and afternoon recess. In addition, we we had a time for teacher planned physical education. Because of the emphasis of reading, language arts, and math, children do not get as much time to play at school.

Play has always been essential in my life. Play keeps me balanced. Knowing that I can play then and now, gives me the desire to work. This is why I selected the quote by Theodore Roosevelt. It is important to work hard so you can play hard without stress. 

Building Relationships and Partnering With Families - Part 1

Relationship Reflection

Personal and professional relationships are very important to me; especially when they are healthy. Healthy relationships are a very important part of well being. The strong relationships that I have are the longest relationships I have. Those strong relationships have helped me to be well and content.

I have many friends and co-workers who have become friends. In addition, I have numerous family members. However, the most positive relationships (outside of my two beautiful young children) that I have are with my husband, mother, and two sisters. The relationships that I have with those four people are simply marvelous and positive. We show each other love and respect. We stand strong as ladder holders, supporting each other's goals, visions, and dreams. We communicate without hesitation; agreeing to disagree if there is an issue. Those are the positive factors that contributed to developing and maintaining each of our relationships.

I have never had any challenges with my personal relationships. However, I have had some with my professional relationships. A challenge to developing and maintaining relationships from a professional stand point that I have learned from my experience over time is

1. Sharing personal business with professional relationships.

2. Spending time like shopping and lunch with professional friends; which crosses barriers. .

3. Getting upset when I feel I have not been respected. 

My marriage to my husband is a relationship, and more so a partnership. We do everything with respect to how the other feels. Whatever I do, I keep in mind that I have a husband and I keep my husband in mind before I do anything and he does the same for me. This keeps us in tune with respecting each other; especially in regards to decision making.

Because I show respect and support in my positive personal relationships, I can contribute to early childhood development in a positive way. I will and I do respect and support each child and their family.