My Connections To Play

George Bernard ShawWe don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing

Kahlil Gibran
And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.

The first quote that I chose from George Shaw summarized what play represented for me. I feel that if adults played more they would be less stressed out, and would enjoy life more. I agree with Shaw that we have not stoped playing because have grown old, we grow old and fall out of play and we stop playing. We stop playing because we feel adults are supposed to deal with bigger things, play is for children not adults so we stop playing.

Kahlil Gibran's quote gave me an image of how I felt playing outside as a young girl. I felt the earth delighting in my bare feet in the Carolina's and the winds playing in my hair. I had no worries, I enjoyed the sun beating down on my face and the feeling of the earth beneath my feet as I played. This quote reminded me of how much I loved to play outside.

 I used to love playing with my dolls and playing doctor. Each of my dolls had charts and I would keep record of their illnesses. I would have them all bandaged up and red ink for the blood in certain spots. I was a doctor who loved all her doll patients.

I also loved to sing and would imagine myself this famous singer.

I am not sure how people supported my play. My mother would often laugh at me while playing and she would say, "what in the world are you doing?" My sisters were older and a lot of times I played by myself. The support I did have from family was the freedom to play, and to be creative!

Play today is definitely different. I can tell you with my own kids they do not go outside alone, they do not hang out over friends houses, friends don't come over my house and just sit around.When I was coming up it was okay to go out and play on your own. No one would come in the yard and snatch you or bother you, you could allow your kids to go over friends houses and feel like they were safe, they could have friends over without someone thinking you would do something to them. It is truly a different day.

Play has kind of played a big role in my life, throughout my life. I have to at times lead Praise and Worship at my church and because I was able to play and imagine myself singing it is easy for me to get up and sing in front of others because I had done it so long in front of my dolls. I kept records on my dolls during play and I now have to keep files on the children in my program. Being able to play has helped me to actually do the things that I have to do everyday. It seems strange, I did not know then that play was shaping me to do the things that I needed to do.