Play, love, work

Play, love, and work are operative throughout the human life cycle. The relative contribution of each disposition, however, varies with the particular stage of growth. The development of play, love, and work unfolds in four major periods. During infancy and early childhood, play is the dominant and directing mode of activity; love and work are secondary. After the age of six or seven --- during childhood proper --- work takes charge as play and love take on supportive roles. In adolescence love becomes the overriding determinant of activity, with work and play subsumed under this disposition. In adulthood, play, love and work become fully separate but can appear together in one or another combination. Some adults for example, love their work but have little time for play. Then there are the professional athletes whose play is their work. And sometimes all of us appreciate play, love and work as a single joyful experience. From the opening chapter to The Power of Play by David Elkind. When I read this paragraph, I felt this was going to be a good book. It was. I found myself marking sections here and there. I will continue to share some of these sections as I work towards completing my book review.