Relationship Reflection
Positive Relationships take trust, commitment, loyalty and time. The saying goes Relationships are built on trust. I have a positive and trusting relationship with my mother, grandmother, church family and the love of my life. Relationships aren't always easy but they take a lot of work. It's a matter of you asking yourself "Are you willing to do the work to make it work?"
Relationships are important to me because they define me. I'm the kind of person where I need to be in a relationship with someone because I'm not meant to be an island. Relationships are important to me because those individuals that I have a relationship in which they accept me and make me a better person. Relationships are important because they allow me to cultivate life. What do I mean by that? The life we all live as humans is an ever changing experience. Nothing stays the same for too long. But with relationships, the change doesn't come so quickly. Yes relationships change but it's not a forced change, They change based on all the parties involved.
Relationships with my mother is positive and healthy one because she's constantly my source of inspirations and undying love. She's constantly pushing me to be a successful young woman of excellence.
My grandmother is a pioneer and our family patriarch. Our relationship has always been a healthy one. She's always encouraged me to love with an open heart and to never bold grudges. Our relationship is a positive one because no topic of conversation has ever been off limits. As a prodigy of divorce, my grandmother has always encouraged me to love my father even though he left us and started a whole new family. My grandmother was an outlet for me. She was always a constant support for me even at a young age. I didn't understand but she helped me to understand, she helped me express myself. My church family has been my source of spiritual guidance, love and unity. For 20 years, we've all known each other. However over the last 12 years, we've all been under my mom's ministry which has brought us closer together. Before my mom became our pastor, we really didn't know each other like we do now. We knew of each other but not enough to have formed a relationship. For the last 12 years, we've all developed a trusting connection due to time spend together, formulating ideas together as well as depending on each other. With my mom being my pasotr, I've had to learn to depend on the church members for support and sometimes guidance. Lastly the love of my life. We met at a very low point in my life and he wheeled me back to life. My love life has always been a joke but yet I was the only one taking it seriously. I met him 3 months after my engagement was called off. He has taught me and is teaching me the security that belongs in a relationship. There is a big age gap between us yet my heart has never felt so safe. We talk about attributes that make for a good relationship and we both have pretty good communication when it comes to us. That is a big key with us it to always communicate when anything disrupts your mind or thought. It's great to have someone to talk to especially when good things are happening to you.
Challenges that I have faced maintaining these relationships have been communication and motives I'm always conscience of other people and their intentions towards me. When developing a relationships it becomes a full time job. It's something that must be maintained, manicured, and nurtured or it dies. When in a relationship with someone. you have to trust them in order to maintain the relationship. Other challenges are letting the relationship mature over time once it' been developed ;it becomes a daily operation, almost like a full time job where the pay out is a healthy, positive relationship.
My definition of a partnership involves people who have a common goal. That goals is set up by those two people. Some characteristics of a relationship that lead to partnership are love, trust, unity, communication, honesty and productivity. Other aspects of a relationship that leads to a partnership is hard work, dedication, understanding and commitment and most importantly Love.
My experience with relationships and partnership that have impacted my work as an Early Childhood Professional hasn't been thought of till now. In a relationship you have to listen and understand. When working with children and families(which are also relationships) you have to learn to listen and communicate. When both children and their families are explaining their desires to me for their child or themselves my job is to listen, understand and resolve. Also in a relationship you have to be versatile. You must be able to make adjustments to tailor the needs of the families and the child. And lastly, I have to be progressive, a forward think and a responder. Just like a relationship, as and educator when I partner up with a family my first thought is "In what way can I help this relationship progress?" Same with my profession, "How can I inspire these families to progress in their child's early childhood education?" One thing in relationships you don't want to do is cause an upset which will cause the relationship to have a major set back. And should that happen, you won't have progress. I think of ways we can solve any problems for a more concrete future and lastly I act and respond accordingly. Relationships take hard work, dedication and a willingness to see it progress the way it's designed to.
