My connections to play

"Play is the highest form of research." - Albert Einstein

"Children learn best in an environment which allows them to explore, discover, and play." - Jill Englebright Fox 

When I was young, I liked to play with barbie dolls and dress them up with different outfits. I come from a traditional Chinese family and my parents believed the only way to learn and get good academic scores was to sit down and learn by doing a lot of practice. Therefore I didn't have much time to play and my parents thought playing was a waste of time.

Everything has two sides. I feel the idea of play is much different today than before because what I learn from school about the importance of play and I have seen more parents believing in the role of play in their children's life. However on the other hand, I can still see Asian parents stopping children to play and making them sit down to learn, which makes me feel sad and disappointed. Moreover, because of the safety concerns, the streets and the neighborhoods are no longer safe enough for children to play and roam.

A few pictures about the play items when I was young...

1. The cartoon stickers/cards from popular Japanese cartoon. We collected cards about different cartoon characters and showed them to our friends. Sometimes we also exchanged with each other to get what we wanted. I remembered I had thousands of these cards.

 2. I liked to play with the barbies and dress them up with different dresses. I could spend the whole day putting on and taking off dresses for them.

Relationship Reflection

My dad - He is a straight person who has taught me life lessons and skills for me to be a better person. He doesn't say love very often, but he shows his love through times he has spent with me, things he has done for me, and words he has told me. To me, he is the most secure base that I have. He gives me suggestions, always makes time for me to listen to me and discuss things with me. He points out problems that I do wrong and helps me solve problems. Although he doesn't express his feelings that much, I understand that he loves me and is always besides me. 

My mom - My mom is a very caring and thoughtful lady. She used to work in a travel company and we had a lot of opportunities to travel around the world when I was young. She is also a very happy and easy-going person who makes us happy and is always ready to listen. She gives me support and shows me directions when I get confused on my future. I feel so grateful that I have a supporting and loving family.

My childhood friend Neko - We have known each other since 6 years old. We were in the same class from elementary school all the way to high school. We shared everything and we had no secrets. Even though I have moved to Canada, we still keep in touch with each other. She shows me support by always willing to listen to me, staying with me when I feel depressed, and making me feel special. We were, and still are each others' best friends and I remember the words she said to me, "you are like another me on the opposite side of the world."

My other childhood friend Claire - We have also known each other since 6 years old and were in the same class from elementary school to high school. We used to go to school and go home together, and spent all of our leisure times together exploring the unknown world. She was and has been a good listener throughout the years and has always provided the best suggestions/solutions to my problems. She made me feel special when I was young because she always helped me with my problems and school works. She made me laugh when I was upset and stood besides me when I needed help.

As the only child in my family, I spent most of my time with my friends and I have been thankful to have these very special friends in my life, and I believe we will continue to be supportive to each other for the rest of our life. 

Our dog Peter was one of the most important family members. We grew up together and he had stayed with us for 17 years. He passed away this year, but left us with invaluable memories.

My best childhood friends. From left to right: me, Neko, and Claire.