Making Connections

Ok, seriously....how cute is he?!! This is the son of Alexis, the author of our second entry on chapter 4, and he looks pretty excited to have you read him mom's thoughts on the importance of helping children learn to make connections -- enjoy!

Upon reading this chapter, I began making connections to the events that were occurring in my life. In the chapter, her first example was one with a two-year-old boy named Philip, who had a passion for grouping toys by particular characteristics. She discusses the importance of developing the ability to classify items correctly into groups, for she believes it helps us later in life.

In December of 2009, I became a mother, and since, my life has changed dramatically. In a short amount of time, I went from being a free-spirited, outgoing girl, to a responsible but sleep deprived adult. The process of becoming a new mommy required hard work, and not being afraid to ask questions or for help. It was an adjustment, for now I had two sets of parents providing advice and recommendations about how to raise our little one, though I had always had a vision of what type of mother I would be. Once school began, my fiance and I had to find a balance between school, work, and our son. This was when we were hit with the realization that our lives would never be the same, and this was accompanied by overwhelming feelings. It wasn’t until I began remembering all of the advice my mother and family had given me, as well as everything I had learned in my classes, that I had my first, “aha” moment. I had made a connection by combining the information I had been given and applying it into my parenting habits. Once this happened, I noticed parenting was not so scary. I felt in control and anytime I was unsure, I turned to my parents or texts for advice. Now my relationship with my fiance is better than ever, as we are much more confident, relaxed and happy with our parenting style. It is an indescribable feeling to watch our son fly through his milestones, and as we look back, we are amazed to see how much we have all changed and matured, in such a short period of time.

Watching my son every day, I am astonished when he displays a new talent. Galinksy writes that “space sense and object sense” are large factors in development. She explains that we are born with these abilities and display them from a young age. A great example is imitation. My son has recently developed an interest in my cell phone and snatches it when I am not looking. He holds it to his ear and makes us laugh as he babbles into it and runs away. Though funny, it is developmental, for he has made a connection that phones are for talking. This is a great start, for soon it will develop into dramatic play.

In conclusion, developing the ability to make connections is extremely important, for we use it in our lives every day. By taking in new information and applying it to what we already know, we are expanding our knowledge and our perceptions of how things work.