That Familiar Melody
The warbling is off-key, yet somehow, in perfect harmony.
by Cheryl Rosenberg, posted on January 29th, 2010 in The Music Issue
‹ Previous Feature | The Music Issue | Next Feature ›
I am coming into the house from the garage. I open the door to hear my two children singing. First it’s Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Then they move on to the Alphabet Song. They are sitting together on Sage’s tiny rocking chair, Sawyer perched on the arm.
It is a moment in time. My kids forgot about squabbling and instead found a common ground through music. These are the songs that will forever remind me of being a Mommy. When he was an infant, the only tunes that would calm Sawyer in the car were Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits. And Sage, when she was in speech therapy, learned to sing Brown Bear, Brown Bear, catapulting her into a vocabulary explosion. Every night before bed we sing them the “Sleep Song.” It’s partly from a Music Together song, partly made up. They will not go to sleep without it, so even if my husband is on bedtime duty, I know I will have to step away from the computer or put down the dishes and climb the stairs to deliver my version.
It’s not the words. It’s the comfort of having Mommy and Daddy sing them something special, just for them. The rooms are dark, the fans are humming, and the familiar melody is the only security blanket they need.
