Tracy: My Family Culture

Saturday, January 14, 2012

My Family Culture

If my community was destroyed by a major catostrophe and I was only allowed three personal items besides my children, I would bring these three items:

My photo albums.
Important documents such as birth certificates, passports, social security cards and driver's license.
Box of mom stuff

I have always taken many pictures of my children and other family members. I treasure these pictures and have so many memories becauese of them. I have many pictures of when I was a little girl also that I would take. These pictures represent where I come from and who I am. They keep my memory fresh of the things that are most important to me.

I would also need the documents that identify me as a person and where I came from. Even though I would no longer have my homeland I could still be connected to who I was and what I would need to become a member of my new community/culture.

The third thing I would bring is a box of things I have collected over the years that my children made or were awarded. Most it is artwork but a lot of medals and other important awards. It represents who they are. It is important to me to have these things because of the time I have spent reading to them, preparing them for school and life, and also giving them the skills to be successful in sports and with their peers.

I would obviously be very disappointed if I had to give up 2 of these items but it would be a relatively simple decision. I would keep the mom box full of my children's accomplishments and awards. I would like for them to be able to remember the things that they did when they were younger and hopefully through these items remember where they came from and who they are as individuals. I would really like to be able to keep my photo albums also but feel that these things are most important.

I think this shows what is the most important to me in my life. I think it also shows possibly the difference between what a woman would bring versus what a man might bring. I choose emotionally based items that have sentimental value where as a man might bring or choose more practical items. That is what makes a community and a society what it is. That as different genders from a devastated community we would both bring different things. I would of course need money for food and other supplies but that didn't occur to me when I was making my one choice. I am an emotional person and that is where I base a lot of my decisions for my life.

2 comments:

AnonymousJanuary 14, 2012 at 7:35 PM
Tracy:

Throughout our Master's program, I have seen what a dedicated mother and early childhood professional you are. You are committed to improving the lives of all children. I think the one item you selected to save definitely represents you. So, far you are the only one who considered the paperwork we must maintain for identity. You are a mixture of sentimental and practical. Where do you think this combination developed? Was it family culture or something else?

Thank you for your insights,
LouAnn
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LeighJanuary 15, 2012 at 4:55 PM
Tracy,
I like the idea of bringing you mom box. What a wonderful way to preserve your kids memories. I also love that you thought of all of the important documents that would come in handy for identification purposes.
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"My Connections to Play"

Two quotes:

Vygotsky - "Children use private speech in play to regulate behavior"

"Creative play is a central activity in the lives of healthy children."
Almon, K. (2002) The vital role of play in early childhood
education. Gateways, 43.

My family, especially my mom, was very supportive of play. She recognized its importance. My sister and I loved to play with our friends. She would take us to the community pool and parks and we would play all day. When we got a little older we got a trampoline and jumped on it for much of the day. We had a playroom above our garage in Tennessee and we played there for many hours even though it got very hot at times. My sister and I loved to play with dolls. My mom always said she would be my best friend and as we got older did not encourage many outside friendships. I think that hurt our social skills a little. Now we talk every once in a while, have very different lives and see each other about 2-3 times per year. Even though we are still very close and had many years of play as children, we have drifted apart. My dad was really good at playing with us also. He took us on our boat all the time and encouraged more of the rough and tumble type of play. Both my mom and taught us to be resourceful and take care of ourselves, almost to a fault.

As I attempt to write my blog assignement I feel play has changed a great deal since when we were younger. We would go all day without seeing the inside of our house and find things to play with. All three of my boys are sitting around my table asking me questions and saying they are bored. I live about 2 blocks from one of the most beautiful lakes and beaches in the country and 1 block from an elementary school playground. There are children all over this neighborhood to play with and they are asking me what they can do. Where have I gone wrong in this scenario? They have come to rely on me as their "social director" and I have probably enabled that. Play is very different. I am going to cancel cable and hide the playstation and nintendo ds's for the summer. My kids are older and possibly beyond help. I hope that young children will be pulled away from the computers, tv and other electronic devices. I hope they will be in a safe place to be able to venture out and make friends. Parents need to be more confident in their childrens ability and need to become independent players. I think sometimes parents protect their children and don't let them make mistakes at an early age.

I have included pictures of my boys below at the beach. This is what we love to do these days. This was on a spring break vacation. My youngest sons favorite toy was a palm branch he found the first day. Again, an item from nature that I didn't have to purchase that entertained him. Nice!!