Relationship Reflection

Relationship Reflection: Relationships are the whole reason why children become socialized and develop healthy interactions with people and peers. Good relationships are essential to supporting a child’s social development. A child who has developed a good relationship with his or her family, and others in society such as, teacher’s, doctors, and peers, can learn how to maintain friendships and gain a tremendous amount of information the world has to offer. Educators have long known that family involvement is vital to children’s success in school” (Souto-Manning, M. 2010). Children who have healthy support groups usually do better and school, or drop-out less. My personal web of relationships/ partnerships include: my boyfriend William, my 2 daughters (Christy and Sophia), my brother Richard, my Doctor and his Assistants, my Teachers, my Colleagues, my Church Pastor, my Friends, and my children’s Grandparents. Although the list can go on and on, I have developed a large network of trusted and dedicated professionals that I have learned from, gained knowledge from, and most of all…these professionals have made me what I am today. They have helped me in time of need, and offered their knowledge as a tool for me to utilize in my own life. It is from the wide range of important relationships that I have encountered and developed in my life that teaches me to be a good influence to everyone I meet. Here is a few of the supports in my life:

The first picture is one of my boyfriend of ten years, and our two daughters. These relationships are important to me because they are of my immediate family. Between the love me and my boyfriend share, we created two little girls whom I have developed a strong bond with. The bond I have with my girls is one of love, trust, devotion, dedication, and many other positive aspects of humanity. The love and partnership that I share with my boyfriend is similar, except that we are a relationship that we developed from friends. We did not create each other. But we certainly created a love for each other and our daughters. From that, it is our responsibility as parents to make sure that we teach our children right from wrong, important things that we know, give them love, and lead them into the right direction by helping them when they need it and offering our advice. In doing so, I can rest assured that my daughters can develop a sense of empathy towards others, and be confident in their decisions to make the right one’s without inflicting harm on others. The second picture is one of me and my baby girl. She is my youngest child. The relationship I have offered her is love, protection, care, guidance, and communication. I respond to her needs and teach her about her world around her. She is the whole reason I have a drive to make her world a better place. Moreover, my baby’s smiles, and her responses to my interactions shows me that she has love to offer me in return of my contribution of being a mother to her. Some insights that I have gained regarding challenges to developing and maintaining relationships are one’s in which we lose the loss of a loved one, or we find a dedicated teacher who touches our life, and then we move on to another grade in school and lose contact with that special teacher. Another challenge that parents face is the workforce has got them gone for long periods of time, and the relationships that they want to build with their children are torn between work and responsibilities of running the home. “In today’s fast-paced society, teachers and families face competing demands for their time, energy, and resources (Anderson & Sabatelli 2007). The workforce can sometimes make it difficult for parents to be involved in their child’s class, or to spend time reading to them, which can be discouraging for parents to try to spend quality time with their child. “For adults who work fulltime, it may be impossible to volunteer in their children’s classrooms” (Souto-Manning,M. 2010). Special characteristics that make these relationships partnerships are the ability to communicate, offer time, and offer healthy interactions. Also, by responding to a child’s needs, shows that we have formed a relationship of care and empathy. By working in collaboration with families, we can learn about their culture, their childrearing techniques, and their diverse contributions to society. Moreover, this strategy of forming healthy relationships with parents can better serve the children because they can form a trust for the teacher and feel comfortable with them. Lastly, by developing positive partnerships/relationships, we can better serve our duties as professionals in the early childhood field because children can come to a safe, guiding, nurturing, and fun environment to learn and play. Also, parents can feel comfortable in bringing their children to a safe environment and offer their wisdom and expertise. Lastly, the partnership of teacher and parent forms, which makes the duty of a teacher a whole lot easier. If everyone is happy, the children benefit. Because the teacher can focus on creating an environment that supports child development. References Anderson, S., & R. Sabatelli. (2007). Family interaction: A multigenerational perspective. 4th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Souto-Manning, M. (2010). Family involvement: Challenges to consider, strengths to build on. Young Children, 65(2), 82-88 Retreived from. (http://search.proquest.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/pqcentral/docview/197637257/fulltextPDF?accountid=14872).