Thursday, November 24, 2011

My Connections To Play

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” Plato

“Play keeps us vital and alive. It gives us an enthusiasm for life that is irreplaceable. Without it, life just doesn’t taste good” Lucia Capocchione

Play was a very important part of my life especially when I was young.  I was always excited to play with my siblings and create new things and plots everyday.  Play made my siblings and I closer together, we got to see who each one was through our interactions and I will not exchange it for the world.

When younger, I would often play with my four younger siblings and our favorite activity is socio-dramatic play.      Being the oldest it was my task to look for items to use for our play and my favorite item to use was boxes! How I loved creating our house for old big boxes.  I would cut out windows and even make curtains using old cloths.  I would paint and decorate the boxes.  Sometimes we made schools, offices or ghost buster headquarters using boxes.  These simple and inexpensive "toys" helped use experience hours of fun each day.
boxes, a great economical source of fun!


Another item I loved to play with were baby dolls and stuffed toys.  I would pretend they were my children or students (depending on the play theme of the day or hour).  I had however, a favorite doll, Raggedy Ann.  She was my favorite because she was made/sewn by my mom.  I slept with her too!
Like my Raggedy Ann
Another play "things" that my siblings and I enjoyed were our pets... We always included them in our play plot, if able.  We would even make our pet hamsters and mice ride on our trikes and carts, pretend they were our kids or other animals.  
we had puppies, rabbits, hamsters and mice

Play was very much encouraged and supported by our family.  We were given hours of freeplay at home after school.  Our parents would also bring us to parks and fields where we could run, bike around or catch insects and collect nature treasures.  We were not provided with expensive toys for we did not need them especially since there were 6 children in the family, we had lots of play opportunities to choose from.  I hardly had any experience playing with video games too as we didn't have any at home.  We were content with playing with each other and playing in our yard or the parks.  I believe that our play experiences made us closer to each other and know ourselves more.  It was through playing school that I started enjoying teaching.  In fact, I still practiced reading stories to my stuffed toys when I prepared from teaching practicum during my college years.  

What I experienced its truly very different from what children now experience.  The proliferation of technological gadgets take time away from interactive play with peers.  I also think that there are less natural and safe areas like parks for children to play in especially in our very small and highly dense country.  Families also have less children nowadays as compared to during our time that there were 4-6 children in each family.  

Old fashioned play is very important.  Thus, I try real hard to make my son experience the same type of play I did when I was young.  It was through play that I learned how to determination and perseverance.  I also got to learn social skills and problem solving.  I also believe that if I did not experience that kind of play when I was young, I would have a shorter attention span and lower degree of creativity.  I would truly be a completely different person!       






 

posted by Elizabeth King Santos @ 8:25 PM 6 Comments

Friday, November 11, 2011

RELATIONSHIP REFLECTION

I am so blessed to have married my high school sweetheart, my confidante, my best friend and accountability partner, Jason.  We have dated for almost 11 years before we got married in 2007 and I have been enjoying being his wife more and more each day.  Jason and I are as different as night and day but we complement each other.  His strengths are my weaknesses and what he may have difficulty with I excel in.  For me, our difference and having God in the center of our relationship helps us keep our relationship positive.


"And the Lord God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him" (Genesis 2:18 NKJV).
Elizabeth and Jason 01/06/2007

Jason and Elizabeth Pre-nup Photo
   The other relationship I value is my relationship with my 3 year old son, Ynigo Miguel.  He has taught me patience, humility and altruism.  Caring for him and teaching him everyday seems to bring out the best in me. I just hope that Jason and I help bring up an individual who will love God and serve him all the days of his life.
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
Ynigo Miguel King Santos (age 3)
Ynigo at age 2
People grow up in the context of relationships and the relationship that influenced who I am today the most is with my family.  The King brood is known to be very close to each other, affectionate and fun.  We truly enjoy each other's company and never run out of things to talk about.  I am blessed to have grown up to a very loving family which I believe helped me maintain and sustain attachments and relationships with other people. I learned to love who I am because they loved me for who I am.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. (John 13:34)
The King family
A partnership is two-way street... both parties should be willing to extend a hand... maintaining a positive relationship/partnership takes real commitment and hard work but the benefits far outweigh the work entailed.  Personally I believe that with God as the third person in a partnership the cord of three is stronger and tighter.  And through these partnerships, I become a better person, a better wife and mother, a better daughter and sister and a better teacher.      

posted by Elizabeth King Santos @ 6:41 PM 8 Comments