Why Dads are Good for Kids
Nigel’s mummy has given me a CD, a CD from a class they take together, a CD which Nigel loves and love and loves to listen and listen and listen and listen to at home and in the car and in the stroller and in the mall and…
You all understand, I’m sure.
Thankfully, I don’t mind it at all. We listen to all sorts of music over the course of a week, and there’s a place for this type, too. It’s very simple, and extremely repetitive, but that’s appropriate to the age its target audience. It’s not frenetic, like so many things aimed at kids. (And the kids on the disk? They can actually sing!) It is blissfully glitz-free. It’s a happy, clear, clean, peaceful little disk, full of gentle, peaceful, harmonious energy. I like it.
And Nigel loves, loves, loves it. He points to the disk propped on the mantlepiece.
“Want ‘hello, evweebuddy, so nice-a see you’!!” Which is the theme of the first track. It doesn’t stop there, though. Nigel knows the entire disk so well that that in the pauses between tracks, he announces the next song in anticipation.
After the first track ends, he turns to Malli. “Biddybiddy bum.” (The second track is “Biddy Biddy”.)
After the third track, “John a wabbit yes ma’am.” (“Oh, John the Rabbit”.)
After the fifth track (which was “bangabangabangabang”), comes “Sea Shells”. Which he sings very well – tone-matching in a just-turned-two! Not bad at all.
“That was good singing, Nigel,” comments my sweetie, who is home today.
“Yeah, Stephen!” Nigel agrees.
We hear –
“dis twain a gwoh-wy” (this train is bound for glory);
“kookabuwwa gum twee”;
“nee-noe” (Spanish song, including ‘nino’);
“sloooowly, slooooowly, snai-ww”;
“baaah, bah”;
“you comes back” (nice reassuring song about how “whoever takes care of you comes back, because they do love you”);
“skippin- down-a stweet” (Rig-a-jig-jig.)
But it’s his introduction to the 23rd track which brings down the house. The twenty-third track, “Everybody Loves Saturday Night”. In the silence before track 23, Nigel looks to the audience and announces…
“Ev-wee-buddy loves-a laugh at-a mime!”
I detect a father’s influence…
LOL! And THIS is why I became a father.
I cannot wait until I can start planting seeds like that!
Too funny.
Misterpie is so proud of how he has instilled a love of hockey and curling. I love how they bond over watching a few minutes of hockey before bed some nights. (And that we can use it as a bribe, er, reward to help toothbrushing along!)
I love it – it’s the sort of thing I’m always doing with my daughter’s songs (even though I’m the mom). By the way, if anyone needs some more good childrens albums, Bev Bos and Tom Hunter have a number of cds out that are really great. The songs are mostly traditional and easy to sing along with, and they’re sung quite well without being cutesy.
Oh – and as I forgot to say it before, congratulations Mary on your upcoming wedding!
Oh, that is very very good. 🙂 Because everybody does indeed enjoy that, on Saturdays or otherwise.
that’s great. i think all of my dad’s influence on me and my sister as children was in curse words and football terminology. this one’s a bit better.
I love your blog, you never cease to amaze me with stories..I’m about to buy a daycare (licensed for 70, keeping about 40) and I’m excited but nervous too.
Well you’ve seen the song and its effects on J! He’s not really bothered about music although he does love the song thats goes “oh, oh, oh, its magic” I forget the actual title and the “I like to boogie, I like to boogie, I like to bogie, on a saturday night!”
By the way, what month is it where you live??? Our daughters have been chatting and C is under the impression that its June where you live…not that geography was ever my strong point but either Chloe has the wrong end of the stick somehow or I need to go back to school, pretty sure its the same month every where in the world???
Came here from Matthew at Child’s Play. Great blog and this post is veru cool indeed.
[…] Nigel arrive first. They have a CD with them. Dad says, “Thought you might like a break from that pink disk. This one’s a favourite at […]
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