My Connections to Play

People tend to forget that play is serious.

David Hockney

Contemporary British painter

Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.

Michael Jordan

American basketball player

My first love was playing basketball. I learned how to compete and I learned how to make friends.

I loved to play with cardboard boxes. Like Calvin and his friend, Hobbes, I could do anything with a cardboard box.

     It's hard to talk about play and not smile. Play and I have had a longstanding relationship. I love play. As a child, my brother and I played in forts made of cardboard boxes, blankets and pillows. We made a mess, but my parents didn't mind. They encouraged us to develop our imagination by not getting us toys. Who knows if they actually had a plan or were just too cheap to spring for a toy. In retrospect, I am glad they made us play with cardboard boxes. I plan on doing the same for my son. 

      I haven't lived in the US for 3 years now, but here in Korea, I see children playing with smartphones! Games are so easy to play on the smartphone that even 3 and 4 years old can pick it up within 5 minutes. This does not bode well for the future of the children of Korea. Although they maybe more savvy with the internet, I feel that this will disrupt the creativity that can develop from imaginative play. I fear that children in most developed countries will adopt technology to soon and it will hinder them in the long run.

Relationship Reflection

This is my family!

My wife, Soo Young, and my son, Sung Yong.

They are the most important people in my life. My wife is the love of my life who I lean on in times of stress. She supports me without question, but challenges me to be a better man, husband and father. My son is the light of my life. I smile and laugh every day because of him. And I'd like to think he laughs and smiles every day because of me. He's the reason I am in the Master's program at Walden. In order to secure our future, I am undertaking this task.

The best part of my relationship with my wife is the way we communicate. Although my first language is English and hers is Korean, we have no problem (well, sometimes we have a little problem) with communication. We are always forthright with each other and even though sometimes we don't want to hear it, we always tell the truth. I think this is the way people should be with each other. Not blunt or offensive, but truthful. I think taking this outlook on all relationships will strengthen them. I will certainly never lie to a parent or a student and hopefully they will respect me for it.

Thanks for reading my blog.