My Supports

           

           

          No one in this world can survive without having some kind of support system behind him or her. You need someone in your corner rooting you one, someone to lean on, and also to share the same respect for them. My supporters are endless but whom I value the most is my family and husband, they all play such significant roles in my life, and I know who to go to for different problems. “Being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life”-Unknown, this quote is something I have shared many of times but really shares my faith and my meaning of family. Having a strong and loving support system has an enormous impact on one's life and even daily life experiences. When you had a great moment, who do you call? When you quit your job, who do you call? When you lost a loved one, who do you call? Every little moment, whether good or bad, you want someone to share your feelings with and give you the support you need. Without these support systems, I wouldn’t be as strong, independent, and fortunate in my life. I know I would be missing something and I wouldn’t have the smile or strength to continue on my path without them.

          The challenge that first came to mind is the on going battle of house hunting. Living on Long Island has always been a dream of mine, to share the same life experiences I had as a child with my future children. I also know I cannot be more then 30 minutes from my parents because I want their future grandchildren to have a strong relationship as I did with my grandparents. The challenges my husband and I face are finances, which is common in some marriages, I ideally would like to find a fixer upper and then buy a forever home. My husband would rather spend the big bucks and get right into a forever home. I look at it as investment and I don’t want to struggle in our first few years of being homeowners. I feel finding something that we can change and gain sweat equity is the best route to go. My husband and father are both very handy, Michael is a wood shop teacher and can honestly do anything and everything and my father owns his own contracting business. I look at this as supports in my future, they can create a dream home for low costs and my mother and I know we can HGTV the house! Even though it is a constant battle between my husband and I and even within myself, the four of us all talk about the pros and cons. My parents suggestions I value, Michaels suggestions I value, and when I disagree with both I call my brother, he always picks my side! I know Mike and I will find something to call our own, but patience is key at this point.

My Connections To Play

"We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing."

-Charles Schaefer

"Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity."

-Kay Redfield Jamison

  

Throughout my childhood cousins and friends always surrounded me. My neighborhood was full of children and with my cousins only living a few miles away we always had the opportunity to play. I remember the manhunt games that would consist of twenty plus children, the kickball and soccer games we would play, and all the street hockey and basketball games we had. We were always outside and running around and our families knew we would be safe. Without these early experiences I don’t think I would value outdoor play as much as I do now. And on those cold and rainy days we were sure to all be at someone’s house playing indoors with one another. I cherish my childhood and wish children these days had similar opportunities. My closest and best friends were my neighbors and even though we may have moved away from our town we are all sure to get together in the summer for our annual block party. Now we notice there are not as many children on our block, and the few that do reside in our neighborhood are barely caught outside. Except when Pokemon Go became a hit over the summer that’s when I would see plenty of children roaming the streets. There was never a day that I didn’t get to play and it hurts to see these children who are more enthralled by their iPad and video games and didn’t get to experience this as a child.

            I wish I saw more street hockey games, I wish I saw more children at the parks but I believe that some parents and even kids rather be inside and do there own thing. I grew so many relationships in my early years and I don’t see the same going on in this younger generation. Having a conversation through texts or on the computer is not going to help children gain the experience and communicational skills they need to succeed in their future. I also understand why there is such an increase in childhood obesity; “Today, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese. The prevalence of obesity in children more than tripled from 1971 to 2011. With good reason, childhood obesity is now the No. 1 health concern among parents in the United States, topping drug abuse and smoking” (American Heart Association, 2014). Children are not getting the exercise they need at this age which can cause major problems in the future in regards to health and gross motor skills. My hopes are that children get outside and play, at this age they don’t have responsibilities, bills, or even a care in the world. Once you get into adulthood you don’t have as much opportunities to just put your stuff down and go do something fun!

Reference

American Heart Association. (2014, August). Overweight in Children. Retrieved from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyKids/ChildhoodObesity/Overweight-in-Children_UCM_304054_Article.jsp#