SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Parents Must Engage for Kids, for a Healthy Mind and Soul.
"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is the work of childhood".
-Fred Rogers-
Request Granted
Have you tried questioning yourself, like are these things enough? Like am I giving them(kids)the life they wanted to live in? or I may say, Am I comparable to other parents or what? Do you think I am already sending them what they called “love”?
Before we went to PARADIZZO BEACH RESORT in Medellin, we went first to Pacific Mall, Mandaue City, specifically to the Kids Mate PLAY YARD and World of Fun. Yes, it is really difficult to say NO to kids requesting something but see that the requested one seems beneficial to them. Before the school year 2022-2023 ends, one of the first requests of my kids together with their cousins were, they wanted to play in the WORLD OF FUN in the mall in the city. As parents together with my sister–in–law, we arranged the schedule but unfortunately, we went first to different beaches like Daanbantayan and Banyan Cold Spring in Tabogon, it’s because these were convenient places to visit. So now, since the school year 2023-2024 is fast approaching, we granted their request to go to the WORLD OF FUN so that they would not regret it and give justice to them to study hard. We finalized this trip since it has something to do with the social and emotional development of the children.
Way to the Pacific Mall !
That day, we made their request real. We were in PACIFIC Mall, Mandaue City. All of us were very excited and they wanted to climb, slide, jump, and do whatever games or fun that they could do inside the world of fun. They had a lot of conversation inside the car, they were very noisy, and we parents were so excited, too to have their simple wish.
Escalator Moment
This was not the first time Pal, Der-an, and Red stepped and rode on the escalator but this was the first time for Kai and Mat. Kai was scared seeing the escalator moving upward and she held very tight to her father. She stared at it and about to scream, we were just laughed and made her calm when we were already on the third floor, where the playing area is located.
Finally, we were here!
I can’t imagine their smile how authentic it was, how their emotion validated each parent's satisfaction to have them in their life. They run and are excited to play inside. This time, because the fee was not the same as before, it had big changes in terms of their price, so we availed the ONE (1) HOUR, enough for them to play. This is not the first time for Pal, Der-an, and Red to play here, this was the first time, for Kai and Mat because they were born during Covid – 19 pandemics, this was their first time to try playing here with other kids not known to them. By the way, the updated rate for the entrance fee is in the picture above.
Name Tagging
I don’t have words to explain, because this is it, they were about to land in the world of fun, which is different from the usual place they live like more grasses and a lot of animals around, which is the countryside.
Time to put on socks!
Part of its rules is to maintain cleanliness inside the play area, so, kids are required to wear socks, and this is available and free for kids.
Time to Play, Yahoo!!
As part of their, social and emotional development, cousins' goals are unlocked!
Moment of Ate Der-an!
Let’s start with the moment of Ate Der-an. Her mother my sister-in-law, told me that Ate Der-an is growing too fast and it seems like she’s not fit to play in an area like this where kids usually play. I quickly realized since I have two kids, that as a parent like me, I need also to value the time with our kids because we can’t look back on the moments we’ve shared when they were still a child. Here in the picture, Ate Der-an was enjoying and at the same time, she met also other kids in the playing area.
Moment of Red
He was having fun and played different games inside, like climbing, biking, and sliding with many balls on it.
Moment of Pal !
Pal is my daughter, and this was her second time playing here, If I am not wrong, the entrance fee at that time was only one hundred pesos (Php 100.00) for one (1) hour, and she was just two years old, but now, she’s already seven. I even asked her if she could still remember those days, and she shrugged and said “No”, My goodness!
Strolling Somewhere!
When the kids were so busy playing, I and my sister-in-law just left there for a while, but my husband was there to guard the kids, we strolled around, just trying to see items on sale that day. I was surprised because, yes, they were on sale like televisions, mugs, water bottles, dresses for kids, and kitchenware. I got envious of the items together with my sister-in-law, so we bought a few that are useful here in our house or items useful for the kids for this opening of the classes.
Purchased item!
These were the items that we had purchased, and we went back after strolling to the playing area.
We also Played!
After buying a few stuffs, because we couldn’t hold that moment, we could not take pictures closer to them, the one assigned to the front desk invited us to go inside, but since we were we just watched and took pictures, we just paid for the socks and not the entrance fee. So, here we go.
Hello Kai!
Aside from climbing and crawling one of the favorite parts of Kai was the cooking area. She was mesmerized by the kitchenware she saw in the playing area. She fell the moment that she was cooking something. It was her first time seeing a kitchen area for kids like this.
Hi Mat!
Kai and Mat!
They are cousins. I don’t know if they could remember this day if they reach seven, lol, it doesn’t matter, the important here, is we feed and satisfy their cravings to play at the same time they can play with other kids inside. The above picture says it all about how they enjoyed that day. The parents of these little kids give birth during the pandemic, they have the same birth month and year and almost the same date. The difference was that I gave birth to Kai through cesarean, while the mother of Mat gave birth to him through normal delivery.
Pal and Red!
They are cousins, too. These two also have grown up together, they have the same birth month and year and almost the same date, like Kai and Mat. They treat themselves like siblings.
The Proud parents!
We were so happy seeing our kids that they were enjoying and all we could see were all smiles drawn on their faces. We can’t afford the moment not bringing them here and have their self-realization that parents’ words only just promise, so as what we promised, we make them into real ones.
Realization as Parents!
We cannot say that we are not perfect, but we are perfect in our way by our different perspectives on how to bring a child to a perfect world. LIFE is full of competition, but I don’t need to compete with others, thus, I compete myself. Social interaction is very important, especially to kids, and one of my ways is letting them out of the world they used to live in and giving them time to explore places and gather ideas, ideas that possibly may they use inside the classroom through simple sharing. I am a mother of two, a wife of one man, a sibling, a daughter, a friend, enemy If you find me that way, saying, I AM LIVING IN A WORLD FULL OF STRUGGLES AND PROBLEMS, WANT TO ESCAPE LIFE WITH LONG AGONY AND I EVEN WISHED TO BECOME RICH. But now, I just have one simple wish, to have a healthy life and I can say now, that there is still a rainbow after the storm. Let’s continue giving our children good support for them to have a brighter future.
"When we deny children play, we are denying them the right to understand the world."
-Erika & Nicholas Christaki-
That’s all for today. Again, see you HIVERS, and don’t forget,
TO SPREAD LOVE and NOT HATE.
I AM @redgmini, hungry for new adventures and learnings.