Relationship Reflection

 

I have a great relationship with three out four biological children

Gabriella, Nickolas and Joshua

 

And their sister Abigail who is like my own, and for whom I helped raise and love dearly

 

Gabriella:  Gabriella S. Ramirez-Gordon is my daughter and she is four years old.  My daughter and I have a positive relationship.  She is extremely bright, and had a good head on her shoulders.  Gabriella feels confident that she can come to me and ask me things and that I will act in her best interest.  Being the only girl in the house with three brothers, can easily become distracting for Gabriella, so her relationship with me, is vital, to stand as a example for manners, proper behavior, success and strength as a mom.  Trying to compete with the boys and  remain a princess is a everyday battle in our home; so taking the special time out to paint her nails when I can, do her hair, take her shopping, dressing her up in dresses, and playing house stands as bonding but also as a reinforcement for girlhood. 

 

Joshua:  I have a wonderful relationship with my son Joshua A. Ramirez-Gordon.  Joshua for the most part always smiles, he is motivated to learn, and he is motivated to show what he knows and comprehend.  Joshua depends on me for help and directions so that he can learn.  Joshua gives me hugs and kisses and I give him hugs and kisses for no reason, other than I love him and to show him I am proud of him.  Joshua inspires me because he is one of my beautiful blessings and his light shines all the time.  I am so thankful to God for Joshua, and that he has closed that gap of emptiness within Joshua, which has brought him out of his lonely stage. For Joshua, his relationship with me stands for an example of support, guidance, direction, modeling behaviors and confidence builder.  Joshua likes to see that someone cares and he loves for others to show appreciation and to be appreciated.  I love Joshua dearly.

 

Nickolas:  My son Nickolas Ramirez Gordon, is one of kind and one of the loves of my life.  There is not a day that he does not have you laughing, and sometimes crying because he gets into that simple, playful stage.  Nickolas is a lot like myself, in that he takes a little time to learn things, but once he learns it, it becomes life- long information.  Nickolas acts a lot like my late brother, Merle E. Casey, in that he loves to joy, and you can’t help but cherish the moments that are priceless.  When Nickolas smiles, it is a constant reinforcement of my role in his life, and his outlook.  He shows appreciation, he is helpful, and he is a brilliant child, who will go far in life.  Our relationship, from his standpoint is a mother-son bond, that nothing or anything will keep us down and that the only limitations in life, are those that we surrender to, in defeat.  I love Nickolas with all my heart, and I am proud to call him my son.

Abigail:  Abigail Grace Gordon is my step-daughter, and is family regardless to my divorce.  I have been in Abigail’s life for 11 years.  If you have figured out, all the children are of Asian/Hispanic heritage, in addition to others and so we try to incorporate all of it, into their daily lives.  Abigail makes me laugh, smile, and cry, and on the days where I do not hear from her, I am sad, because it like searching for a lost child, and not being able to locate him or her.  Abigail is smart, and extremely athletic, and she is a joy to be around.  My relationship with Abigail is a constant reminder to her of a lifetime support and strength, a lifetime home where she is welcome, loved and received with open arms.  I would not trade our relationship for anything, and my prayer is that it will continue to grow stronger as she gets older.

The challenges that I have experienced in developing my relationships and maintaining are location/distance barriers, since we have moved from VA to WV.  Other challenges in developing my relationships and maintaining them are children’s changes in behaviors, which are related to new friends, getting older, changes in likes and dislikes and increasing needs for independence.  Every day with the children, is a learning experience, and with every learning experience, there is a memory created, that will last a lifetime.

With all my relationships with the children, I see a partnership, because they have dreams and as they see me accomplish mine one at a time, and they see my interest in theirs, together we work to achieve for the better good of our family.  So, I encourage the children to keep in touch, I encourage the children to go and see each other play and I encourage total interaction so that we know we can count on each other, because a level of trust has been established.

The impact that my relationships have on me, and the potential impact they have on my work as an early childhood professional, are experience trial and error, and knowledge that stands for examples that maybe useful in other relationships.  In early childhood studies, it is obvious that each day of learning, is preparation for the next day of learning which builds as you go; so we can assume that every experience has meaning and it is our job as the professional to interact, observe and report.

For those whom may wonder about my fourth biological child, well his name is Jeffrey Ramirez Gordon, and we are a work in constant progress. I love him, but I would be lying if I said our relationship is positive right now. I continue to do for him, and love him unconditional and encourage, because he is very smart and makes excellent grades and I put all of our problems and disputes in God’s hand; because I know GOD can do, what I cannot do.

 

Jeffrey Ramirez Gordon