Okay, I’ll start with how I am NOT a singer. I don’t have the best singing voice. I tend to be an alto and harmonize whenever possible, because I pretty much can never hit the actual right notes. You’d think 10+ years of piano lessons might have helped with this but… I remain a mediocre singer.
Yet apparently, my singing is all my son wants to hear! It started when he first began eating solids. He was hesitant about downing those smushed sweet potatoes I had so lovingly made him… so I began waving the spoon around appealingly… and on the spot created this little ditty:
“Sweet po-ta-to, sweet po-ta-to, sweet po-ta-to, Swwweeeeeeeeeet! Sweet potato, sweet potato, sweet potatoe Eeeeeeeat!!”
(I know, don’t all jump at once hiring me to write best-selling jingles!). I don’t know if I borrowed a tune from another song, or made it up myself.
For some reason, this song reduced my son to giggles… and eating! He would insist I sing while he ate his sweet potatoes. As he got older, he learned to sway along to the singing, and at the end of every verse, would open his mouth for a bite. Magic. (Do you know how many times I have to sing this to get through just one bowl of sweet potato mush?)
Fortunately, I was smart enough never to make up songs for the rest of his vegetables.
Unfortunately, my son still likes to hear me sing while he eats. He’ll now call out names of songs for me to sing: “Twinkle!” or “Farmer-dog!” (which stands for B-I-N-G-O), or “Bumblebee” (I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee).
I am complicit in perpetuating the “monster” I created and happily sing for him while he eats his supper (don’t worry, it’s not EVERY single meal, generally just dinnertime). Sometimes though, I have to remind him that he actually needs to be EATING while I sing.
The good: I think it’s fun to sing at the table… I know it’s not the best manners, but… we’re enjoying ourselves. And someday, he’ll be telling me, “PLEASE don’t sing, mom!”
The bad: It’s hard for ME to eat while I’m singing for his supper!
The ugly: My voice hasn’t improved. Oh well!
Do your kids have any dinnertime quirks?
T Rex Mom
Thursday 12th of January 2012
T Rex used to be big into me singing him through his meals. Now he and his sister are all about knock knock jokes. Although, sometimes I can entice them to finish a few more bites of food with the promise of a round of "Five green and speckled frogs, sat on a speckled log..."
T Rex Mom
Thursday 12th of January 2012
T Rex used to be big into me singing him through his meals. Now he and his sister are all about knock knock jokes. Although, sometimes I can entice them to finish a few more bites of food with the promise of a round of "Five green and speckled frogs, sat on a speckled log..."
Shari
Friday 6th of January 2012
Very cute story. Made me smile. And wonder what he is eating! Lol. I'm not into spicey so I don't know my peppers. Is that a hot chili pepper?? If it is, go A! I haven't had to sing for J to eat- but he eats so much maybe I should try singing to distract him from asking for more... Ha As far as dinnertime quirks, probably just that he tries to sign every word he knows 10x. But that just makes me a proud mama. :-)
Shari
Friday 6th of January 2012
Very cute story. Made me smile. And wonder what he is eating! Lol. I'm not into spicey so I don't know my peppers. Is that a hot chili pepper?? If it is, go A! I haven't had to sing for J to eat- but he eats so much maybe I should try singing to distract him from asking for more... Ha As far as dinnertime quirks, probably just that he tries to sign every word he knows 10x. But that just makes me a proud mama. :-)
Crunchy Beach Mama
Thursday 5th of January 2012
To cute. P is also very into my singing. Signing works for MANY things I have found over the years. And they could care less about how good our voices are! :)