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From student: J.F

Hello Professor and Class!

What toys did you have as a child that you think of agents of socialization?

When reflecting back on the toys I had as a child, a few of them stuck out to me. The first ones that are very clear is a doll house with little people in it. I can’t think of the proper name of it, but I remember it was a whole house, a little family, and a vehicle that resembled a van. If I remember properly, it also had a dog. I feel like this was important for my socialization because I used it as a reflection of how I was being raised. I remember having the adult dolls put the kid dolls to sleep and I also remember making them sit down for dinner as a family. I also learned how to share them and play house with my friends. Another set of toys I remember playing with is a horse and stable set up. I felt this was important for my socialization because it was teaching how to take care of something and keep it happy. Along with those toys, I also remember playing with the game, Pretty Pretty Princess. I feel like this game was an agent of socialization because it was played with a couple friends at a time. It made me get away from just playing by myself and learning how to play with others. The final toy/game I remember playing as a child is Monopoly. I feel like this was a great way of socialization because I played it with friends and family. It helped me learn how to pay attention, be patient, and also how to play games with others.

How did you use toys to understand relationships, or prepare for new ones?

When reflecting back on how I was playing with the toys, it was a direct reflection on how I was being raised. When I used to play with the doll house, I would replicate the actions and mannerisms that my parents would do. Growing up in my home, my parents would always make my brothers and I sit together at the dinner table each night as a family. They would also, always tuck us into bed. This helped me build the foundation of what would become stronger relationships. It did so by reinforcing family, communication, and security. The game of Monopoly taught me how to better communicate with others. It also helped influence the idea of patience and help focused my attention. As well said by Mustafa Onder, “Children learn self-regulation, setting up rules and abiding by these rules through plays” (Onder, 2018).

What specific theoretical perspectives on socialization from this week's reading (symbolic interactionist, functionalist and/or conflict theoretical perspectives) best help you understand your childhood toys as agents of socialization and why?

I feel like the theory of functionalist perspective best helps me understand, how my childhood toys served as agents of socialization. I feel like this because as mentioned in our book there are three stages of socialization, primary, secondary, and tertiary. When looking at the definition of primary socialization, it “refers to the process of learning that begins at birth and occurs at home and family” (Kendall, 2016). I feel like the toys I was playing with, showed a reflection of the social skills I started gaining at a very young age, that were implemented by my parents. I also feel like there is a place in between both primary and secondary socialization that explains why the agents such as Pretty-Pretty Princess and Monopoly helped me in my socialization process. I started off by learning at home but would proceed to play outside the house with friends. This would be more reflective in secondary socialization because it states that this is “the process of learning that takes place outside the home” (Kendall, 2016). I had to learn to play with more patience by realizing it took more than once person to play the game.

References:

Kendall, D. E. (2016). Sociology in our times: The Essentials. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Onder, M. (2018). Contribution of Plays and Toys to Children’s Values Education. Asian Journal of Education and Training, 4(2). 146-149. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1176006&site=eds-live&scope=site (Links to an external site.)