Cat's Parenting Journal

Monday, November 21, 2005

Lullabies for our generation

Both my kids (I'm getting more and more used to saying that) love music. The new one (just like his older brother) is charmed out of fussiness by singing, especially by odd, not-designed-for-babies. For Otter, some of the prime choices included pop culture (G singing 'King of the Forest' from the Wizard of Oz--complete with "royal" growling-lion sound effects) and folk songs (G singing songs from his camp days, including 'Hang on the Bell Nelly').
Of course, as a side effect of our desire to soothe the kids by any means necessary, Otter knows many of the words to the drunken mouse song (beginning with "The liquor was spilled on the barroom floor...")

Now, with the new child, I have discovered a new option: instrumental movie soundtrack music. You may have guessed it: Da DAAAAA dum, Da DAAAAA dum, DUMMM dum dum dum.

Yes, it's the title music from Star Wars.

And when I do my rendition of it, the not-yet-three-month-old child stops crying and immediately breaks into a fascinated, delighted grin.

I never realized in my teen years when my brother played that soundtrack over and over (and over and over) that, as I hummed along, I was learning a valuable parenting skill.

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