Is Singing to Your Children Really the Responsible Thing For ALL Parents?
I’m not sure I’ve ever felt as helpless as holding my son the first time. That was two years ago now, but I remember that moment like it was yesterday. There was so much joy, and due to the circumstances we were just thrilled he was here.
But as with all newborns there was crying. Lots of crying. That cry was instinctive. The smile was learned.
I knew that babies like to be sung to. I knew that the sound of a human singing somehow soothes these crying fits. And with some humans, I can certainly understand how that might work. When it comes to singing, I’m not one of the chosen – I am a parent who can’t sing.
There are few sounds in the world more obnoxious than the sound of my singing voice, and that took a long time for me to get over as I began singing to Jamie. Stemware in China cabinets everywhere is at risk when I attempt to carry a note.
But when a baby or toddler cries you REALLY REALLY want to make them stop. At all costs. You want to somehow bring comfort to a human who sounds like he is going through something more torturous than water boarding or watching Chicago Cubs baseball.
In order to do this, you need to get over the sound of your own voice, and you need to find something to sing. As I was holding Jamie in those first few moments it occurred I didn’t know any lullabies. I hadn’t really learned anything appropriate to sing.
Well, there was one thing I could think of. Meg and I are both fans of the show Big Bang Theory. For those unfamiliar, the character Sheldon – a notable physicist – loves for his friends to sing him a song called “Soft Kitty” when he is sick.
The song sticks in your head like an ear worm. So in the moment I began singing it to my son. It seemed a little strange, but it got him to stop crying, at least momentarily. Mission accomplished.
I know more lullabies now. We still sing with Jamie, and I’ve largely learned to overlook the wretched sound of my own singing voice for the greater good. Jamie somehow seems happy in these moments.
Jamie is probably ahead of the curve for a 2-year-old piecing the world together, and I’m not just saying that as a proud parent. But the fact he finds his father’s singing pleasurable may be a strike against him in this category.
We continue to learn and teach him more songs. We sang him “Soft Kitty” for a long time, but it eventually worked its way out of the rotation. We also sang him “Hush Little Baby” as an infant. As he got a little older, we began singing him the ABCs, and he learned the alphabet that way. He knows countless other songs as well.
Out of the blue one night, the kid asked for “Silly Cat??!” It had been months since we sang “Soft Kitty.” Meg and I looked at each other puzzled. We have a cat that easily fits the bill as a silly cat. Jamie will also say “silly mommy” or “silly daddy” depending on the situation.
So I was a little surprised when Meg responded with “Soft Kitty?” He wanted us to sing to him. I’m glad that my earlier renditions of this song haven’t damaged my son beyond repair. But I’m even more impressed he remembered a song we hadn’t sung to him in months.
I won’t misinterpret the signal here. My singing voice is God awful, and Jamie isn’t exactly Simon Cowell. For whatever reason Jamie seems to like when I sing to him. If the kid knows what’s good for him, he’ll wise up shortly. So I’ll take it while I have it.
If you like what you read, please vote for me by clicking the Top Daddy Blog Link below! Thanks.
Facebook
Twitter