Last updated on December 27th, 2021 at 11:57 pm

It’s probably not something that you’ve consciously thought about. Does “pretend play” impact who we are today? We didn’t really think about it much either. But as we started to work on this blog and talked more and more about what we love to do and what we wanted to write about, we thought that maybe the games we liked to play as kids is instrumental in what we do later in life.!

So we did a little research and turns out it most definitely can! Studies have shown that “pretend play” can help children understand the power of language, open them up to the social and emotional roles of life and even improve problem solving skills. Children can also build self-esteem when they discover they can be anything by just pretending. For more information, check out this article on pretend play from Scholastic. Read on to learn how we feel this concept affected both of us in different ways!

Jen’s Playing Days

Sometimes I wonder how I ended up working in business, over other fields. In pre-school I told the teachers I was going to be a penguin trainer. Which is a far departure from what I actually ended up doing. 

But when I think back to when I was younger, one game I LOVED playing was office. I really have no idea how or why my Grandma and I started too. 

In their finished basement, they had an office area with two desks. It was open to the rest of the basement, but it was a step up and had a railing around it. One desk against the wall had a computer on it, which didn’t interest me at all. I only played old-school office. Plus, this was the 90’s, so what was I going to do on that computer anyway?

The other desk was in the middle of the office area, facing out to the rest of the living room. This probably why I prefer having a desk in the middle of the room vs. against the wall. 

On the desk was a lamp, photo of my great-grandma, a phone and a daily calendar. There was also a car paperclip holder. Next to the desk on another small table was the typewriter. Now the typewriter, that’s my vibe. 

I would sit at the desk and pull out a pencil from the drawer and “do some work” on a piece of paper. Grandma would go in the other room and pick up the phone, then she and I would have important business conversations talking over the dial tone until it started beeping at us. 

When Grandma was out of the room, I would flip through her desk calendar and pick a random day and write her an “I love you” note. When she’d get to that day in her calendar, she’d always call me to say she got my note. I loved that so much. 

When my Grandpa moved out of the condo, Mike and I took the desk and the paperclip holder. We had just moved into our new house, and had nothing to include in our office area. 

So I guess it’s kind of no surprise that I ended up working in business. I always wanted a “cool office” to “do adult work” in when I got older. 

These days, we’re all working from home, so I guess I got what I wanted in a way. Funny enough, we don’t use our office right now, because we can’t see what Eme is getting into around the house. Mike has a desk in the living room, and I have a desk in the “formal sitting room” so at least one of us knows where she is at all times. 

So while playing office wasn’t the only reason I ended up working in business and marketing, it definitely paved the way for what I thought the experience could be like. 

But if I could, I’d probably still be a penguin trainer. Maybe just on the side. 

Dianne’s Playing Days

I spent over 30 years working in Marketing in an office environment but I don’t recall ever playing office with my mom growing up.  It was a special time that just she and Jen shared together.  I loved my work in marketing and being in a business environment, don’t get me wrong. However, the thing I really loved was deciding on my outfits for every meeting, event or business trip.  So where did THAT come from?

While other little girls were playing “chef” or “teacher”, I used to play “boutique” in my room.  What does that look like?  I would literally play in my closet.  I would pretend I had customers in my store and I would pull out a skirt and then match it with a top and then show “my customer” the perfect coordinated earrings and ultimately make the sale.  

My first foray into fashion was working at the (now defunct) Casual Corner retail clothing store in college. I loved it and even won a sales contest for selling the most coats.  (If you’ve read my blog post on coats, you’ll understand why).  After graduation I worked twenty years in automotive marketing.  It wasn’t the fashion industry but I did get to go to some fun events which required some fun outfits.  For the last twelve years, up until the start of this blog, I was doing marketing and PR for the handbag company K. Carroll Accessories.  Which leads me to today – I get to work full-time on all things fashion.  That little girl playing boutique would never have believed it.

So I guess all that “pretend play” got Jen and me to where we are today. It’s not an accident that what we loved doing as children still plays a role in our life today. So if you’re thinking about making a career move or just wanting to pick up a new hobby, think about what you enjoyed doing in your past.  It just might lead to your future.

Did you play office or boutique growing up? Did what you played as a kid translate to what you’re doing now? We’d love to hear about it!