Relationship Reflection

Relationships and partnerships are valuable to my life, sanity, and family as these relationships have either assisted in molding me into the person that I am today or challenge me with the daily walk that I live. 

Some positive relationships that I have include my family.  My husband is the first person that offers support and encouragement!  We have the type of relationship that looks to the other person for important decisions in our lives.  I couldn’t imagine life without him!  I am one of nine children, but one of my sisters, Shannon, is a person that when I need someone, she’s always there.  No matter what the circumstance, I know she’ll help me realize what I need to do.  My parents also, they’ve always been there for each of the children in the family and support any decision (no matter how crazy it is) with confidence.   Another positive relationship is the Mom’s connection group that I am a part of.  Meeting these ladies this past September and knowing that if ever there was a problem or situation that would come up they would be there to help and assist me!  This group of ladies meets twice a month at the church I attend and offer encouragement, challenging words and activities to keep everyone uplifted and a part of the community.  Professionally, I have gained relationships in countries that I have visited around the world.  We don’t communicate every day, week, or even month.  But knowing that we have built a relationship that we are able to bounce ideas and thoughts around is extremely important to each of us.  I also stay in contact with a professor from my undergraduate school that he allows me to talk to him and ask him LOADS of questions.  Really a great support!  The characteristics that make each of these relationships important to me as well as I consider them a partnership is that we encourage and grow with each other.  These relationships are not just a take take take or a give give give.  Instead they’re both give and take; we encourage and grow with each other instead of one person being the sole beneficiary.

The friendships that I treasure the most are the ones that I don’t need to phone daily and remind them of our friendship.  Developing and maintaining relationships and partnerships requires an understanding of the other person.  What do they need to feel wanted, needed, and loved.  Growing in relationships takes time, it doesn’t happen overnight.  Any frustrations or hard times I’ve had with growing in relationships were due to misunderstandings in what I or the other person desired from it.  Communicating throughout the friendship building is key!

These relationships that are continually being built impact my professional career within the early childhood field as each person adds to a greater understanding on different levels.  My husband adds an open communication from a “father’s point of view”, my sister adds her experiences as a parent with multiple children as well as children of special needs, my parents add their life experiences as well as opinions as grandparents.  The Mom’s connection group of mothers adds a load of experience and opportunities for observation and experiences that as a mother I could never experience all together.  Professionals from other countries assist in understanding the cultures of each of their regions, and when a child enters into the care of a facility or area I work with they are great soundboards and information giving for understanding the family.

Relationships and partnerships are a great asset for succeeding in this field (really any field).  Continually growing and maturing in them while supporting each other in any area of desire is the way to make these relationships and partnerships successful.