My Connections to Play

Without play in my life, I don’t think I would be where I am today.  My brother’s and I often escaped to the woods, garden, the hay barn or our sandbox to avoid the conflicts my parents had growing up.  Play allowed me to escape the worries of home life, dream big, and pretend I was someone else.  I didn’t always want to be the big sister, the only daughter or the counselor, so I often escaped through play.  Living on a farm, there were many opportunities for play, and since we didn’t have money for toys, we often found what we could and created our own joy in useless items.  Grass, sand, leaves, flowers, blankets, dress-up clothes, and paper could keep my brother’s and I busy for days.  It’s funny because I remember my play experiences like they were yesterday, and it was often my mother who encouraged us to play.  I’m not sure she necessarily understood the value of play, but nevertheless, we were out of her way as she handled the daily household chores.  My mother would take the time to sit with us as my brother’s and I presented our disco shows and the blanket forts that took us all day to create. When she took the time to play, I felt valued, appreciated, and worthy. 

If I were to go back and be a kid again, I would choose a wooded area with a tree house, dirt toys, and my Strawberry Shortcake doll.  I would want a couple friends to hang out with me in my tree house, and of course it would be a warm, summer day.  Using my sand toys, I would spend my day making “apple cake” “chocolate pudding” “cherry pies” and “milkshakes” for my friends and my doll.  I would make “leaf soup” and “mashed potatoes” for my doll, and set the table as if I were having guests over.  My friends and I would go shopping, clean our house, prepare dinner, go to the princess ball, and pick flowers.                                                                                 

Now, as an adult, I continue to play.  I try to be a role model in creating positive interactions with my students, parents, and my own two daughters.  Play is definitely different now than what it was 30 years ago.  Parents struggle for time, play is not priority, and children are being entertained by electrical devises that give us more time, but less interaction with our kids.  My hope for every child is to be a child.  Many children are forced to work at very young ages and take on parent responsibilities because their parents are working multiple jobs.  Play allows us to stop, listen, ask questions, and laugh with our children.