Young Mothers Learn Value of Play Time

In a classroom crowded with teen-agers in various stages of pregnancy, college students jiggled puppets and read from Sesame Street books, imitating the voice of Cookie Monster. The eight therapeutic recreation students from Cal State Dominguez Hills were demonstrating ways of playing with infants to relieve the stress of parenting.

“Play is the answer to everything,” said Susan Mathieu, instructor at Cal State Dominguez Hills, who took eight students to Reid High School in Long Beach, where the Sarah Center, a child abuse treatment and prevention program, provides parenting classes to pregnant teen-agers.

Mathieu, who has spoken throughout the state on child abuse prevention, was invited to give the workshop and brought her students along.

“Because of their enthusiasm, (my students) can quickly establish rapport with the teens,” Mathieu said.

Mathieu took a mirror around the room, holding it up to the faces of future mothers.

“Look in the mirror. Look at that scowl. You’re not smiling,” she chided them. “What face do you want your baby to see? A grouchy face or a playful face? What feels best to look back at you right now?”

The students laughed and admitted they preferred the smiling faces.

“We have seen that if you provide an environment that encourages play and recreation, it improves young parents’ ability to interact with their babies,” Mathieu said.

To aid in the lesson, two babies whose mothers attend Reid were also at the class. Before long, giggling teens were playing games with each other and learning to dance with the infants. They also learned how to use homemade toys and ordinary objects such as mirrors or kitchen utensils in their play.

“I never thought babies listened to music or looked in mirrors,” said Teresa Gonzalez, 14, who is expecting a child. “I’m going to try it with my baby.”