My Supports

My support mentally, physically, emotionally and sometimes even financially were my mom, as I mentioned in one of my blog she had a stroke in July and is not able to support me in the way she used to. Before her stroke, my mom did everything I needed her to do and more. I have been a single mom since my two older kids were 3 years and 3 month old,respectively. They are now 18 and 15 years old. When I went through my divorce and to move back home and start over, she was there for me. She never judge me or asked me why I didn't stay in my marriage. She just open up her heart and home to me and my kids. I soon got a job working at nights, so she had to help me with the kids during the day as far as going to programs at school and attending report card nights, that I could not go to because of my job or so I could get some sleep during the day. She took them to doctor appointments and picked them up from school when they were sick. If they needed money for snack or a school event and I did not have it or did not have enough she would help me to pay it.  I now have two other kids and a home of my own, but one of them  play football, I now work different shifts and still cannot get to games and events, my mom will step right in and go to these rather it is hot or cold, she just want to support her grand kids.  I don't know what I would do without my mom. I was very upset when she had her stroke, but I thought out the fact that at least she is still alive and here for me to see everyday. Even though, it will be a long way back for her and she may never regain her strength fully, she is a strong woman and  I love her dearly and pray every day to God Thanking him for giving me such a wonderful person for my MAMA.

MY Connection to Play

                                                 

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

Kay Redfield Jamison

Contemporary American professor of psychiatry

"Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play."
Henri Matisse
French painter
1869–1954

 Items that were essential to me in my childhood playtime

When I was a child play was supported by all adults, our house used to be the place where most kids came to play in the afternoon. All the parents in our neighborhood knew if their child was not at home, they were at our house playing baseball or kickball or softball. Play should be included for all kids, it is the very special way that kids can have to outlet emotions without getting into trouble. They can let go of their angry and emotion by hitting a ball or riding a bike or kicking a ball. Adults should make it a point to make sure that their child is playing everyday and enjoying it. They should make sure that they get outside to do some type of physical activities which will help the child keep from becoming overweight and unhealthy. Play has always been important in my life. My other favorite activity was riding my tricycle and as I grew older my bike and I still do that today. I make sure that my kids have a bike and that they get out and ride it or play basketball or kickball at least  times a week. Any adults and school should try to include some kind of curriculum where kids can go out to play whenever possible, this will help everyone concern and be fun for all.


References
Play Quotes | The Strong
www.thestrong.org/about-play/play-quotes

RELATIONSHIP REFLECTION

Relationship are important to me because I feel like they define me as a person. If a didn't have any kind of relationship with anyone, I feel like I would be a sad and lonely person. I would not communicate with anyone and probably would be very bitter.

The relationship that is most important to me is the one I have with my children. They are ages, 18, 15, 9, and 8. They are the fabric of my life and I feel like they are a reflection of me as a person. I try to teach them right from wrong and hope that they follow my advice. My baby who you see on the picture with me is my only girl, I waited a long time to get her and had some difficulty when she was born, but as you can see she is very healthy. My oldest son is about to graduate high school and attend college and I hope be successful in whatever field he chooses. My two middle kids are very smart funny and love football, both are active in peewee and high school football, respectively.

My next positive relationships are with mom and sisters. I love my mother to death and she has always been there for me whenever I needed her. Unfortunately, she suffered a stroke on July 4th and is currently experiencing some issues on her road to recovery, but I know regardless of what problems she may have with her memory that she loves me. i have always been able to talk to her and go to her for anything. My tow sisters are wonderful, we talk everyday and support each other through thick and thin.

Some challenges that a person my encounter when forming relationships is trust issues. If you have been a bad relationship before like I have it is very hard to trust anyone person with your heart. You have to make sure that you learn from your mistake and grow with them. You can't let your past stop the road to your future or you will never be truly happy in life. By believing in yourself and trusting your instincts, you will be able to move forward past the hurt and pain and maybe find someone that is good for you.

I feel that I can be a great teacher regardless of past experiences because you have to look at each new experience differently and not let any decision you make be colored by the past. Every situation is different and you have to look at each for a fresh perspective.

The quote that I chose to post I believe is very accurate about children. I hope everyone enjoy reading it.

 “Ah! what would the world be to us
If the children were no more?
We should dread the desert behind us
Worse than the dark before
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Measuring a child intelligence

When measuring a child's intelligence, you must look at the whole child and what he does over all in the school environment, not just on one test. Some children are very nervous when taking test, having not had enough sleep the night before or even may be having problems at home. Many children  sometimes have to take the ACT or SAT test several times before getting the score they want, even though they may be an A student, but when it comes time to take these very important test they don't do well because they are worried that if they don't make the right score they may not get into the college they have been want to go to for some this may have been a dream their whole life and they feel if they don't do well on the test the school may not accept them.

"In 1905, France gave birth to what was fundamentally the first (successful) method of measuring intelligence. Following the need to establish specialist schools for children with learning difficulties, the French Government employed Alfred Binet to produce a system in which schools might distinguish between those who were intellectually challenged and those who were able. The method Alfred Binet delivered, along with the assistance of Theophile Simon, required children to complete  simple exam in which they would copy shapes or patterns, name objects and follow straightforward instructions.The scoring of the test produces a number called the child's mental age. The mental age reflects the level at which the child performed on the test -- if the child performed at the level of the average ten-year-old, for example, then the child would be assigned a mental age of ten, regardless of the child's chronological age (physical age). One compares the child's mental age to his or her chronological age. If the mental age is the same as the chronological age, then the child is average. If the mental age is higher than the chronological age, then the child is mentally "advanced" or gifted. If the mental age is lower than the chronological age, then the child is mentally "retarded," or behind his or her peers in intellectual development." (www.news,2013)


Measuring intelligence a brief history retrieved on June 16, 2013 from http://www.test-iq.com/news/measuring-intelligence--a-brief-history/

violence in united states and switzerland

Violence in the world is very high. Especially domestic violence. "Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten. Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime. Most often, the abuser is a member of her own family.
Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women—more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. Studies suggest that up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually." (domesticsviolencestatistics,2013). This is very important to me because as a child I witnessed this many times, but at that time I didn't really know what it was. My father used to get drunk and hit my mom, but I didn't know that it was abuse and doing that time it was unheard of and not talked about  as much, what happened in a family and home stayed there, so you just learn how to block it out and cope with it the best way you could without telling anyone or talking about it. My mom develop the strength to leave him, but when he was in a hit and run accident she took him in because he was paralyzed and could not do for him and she took care of him until he died.

As you can see by these statistics, the United States is not the only country with this problem. "Domestic violence is very widespread in Switzerland – in a study in 2005, 40% of women in Switzerland said that they had experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of a partner, ex-partner, acquaintance, family member or stranger in their adult life. (Swiss Federal Office for Gender Equality)
In 2002, 989 women sought temporary shelter from abusive partners, representing an increase of 20 per cent since 2001 (Swiss Info, November 25, 2003). (rave,2009)

References

Domestic Violence Statistics retrieved on June , 2013 from http://domesticviolencestatistics.org/domestic-violence-statistics/

RAVE - Switzerland Statistics retrieved on June , 2013 from
http://www.theraveproject.com/mapdata/switzerland.html

A healthy child stands less of a chance of contacting disease such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and strokes when they get older than a malnutrition one. "Healthy eating in childhood and adolescence is important for proper growth and development and can prevent health problems such as obesity, dental caries, iron deficiency, and osteoporosis." (www.cdc.gov,2013)If a child eats the right amount of nutritious fruits and vegetables as well as whole-grains, and less fats and sodium, they are more likely to be healthy and happier. Children burns off a lot of energy by playing, riding bikes, running, and they need to be fed properly everyday. Parents need to limit the amount of sweets and sugary drinks and increase the amount of water that their child drink everyday. Schools should make sure that they are feeding kids healthy and nutritious foods and emphasizing the effects of healthy eating to kids and parents. Good nutrition is very important for maintaining a healthy rate and healthy growth as shown by my next paragraph.

 "Chronic malnutrition has been a persistent problem for young children in sub-Saharan Africa. A high percentage of these children fail to reach the normal international standard height for their age; that is, they are "stunted." (Teller,2008). The region has now the world's highest rate of stunting among children—43 percent—and has shown little improvement over the past 15 years. This story shows that because of the fact that these kids are malnourished, they are not growing to the proper height and therefore are stunted. Poor nutrition can come from a number of factors from poverty to climate change to little or no education and access to nutritional education. Low income families are more likely to have more children that are malnourished  because they do not have the means to by the proper food for their kids, that is where programs like WIC (women, infant, and children) comes in, it provides food that are both nutritious and healthy.

References
Nutrition facts retrieved on May 17, 2013 from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/nutrition/facts.htm

Teller, 2008. Reducing Child Malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Surveys Find ... retrieved on May 17, 2013 from www.prb.org/Articles/2008/stuntingssa.aspx

My name is Joanne Hardin. I am a mother of four and all of their births was completely different. The first two had no medication and they were born in 2 hours. The third one took 8 hours and I was given medication with him which I can attest and say that it is an epidural is a wonderful thing. These 3 were boys, the last one was a girl and she were born in fifteen minutes with no medication, and even though this was the fastest it was the hardest one for me. She had to be sent to another hospital and I did not see her for three days, you better believe when I was released from the hospital I went straight there. I love all my kids the same and would not trade them for the world.

Most women in England have their babies at home rather than a hospital with a midwife in attendance. They have little or no problems. I myself would prefer a hospital anytime.