“I want to sing like the birds sing—not worrying about who hears—or what they think.” – Rumi
When I put my daughter, Zoey, to sleep at night, the one thing she always asks is for me to tell her the story of my day. For years, I’ve happily obliged to this request.
She started asking about my day she was only 3, an age where silliness was always a crowd-pleaser. In an effort to make my job seem just a tad bit more entertaining, I created a pretend group of silly animals that would hop in my purse and tag along with me into work. I’d tell her stories of the trouble they’d get into while I was busy with projects or meetings. Lulu the Mouse was frequently found in random places throughout the office, Chunk the Chipmunk would always be found eating something, Sky the Skunk would be found somewhere stinking up the place, and Honey the Bunny would live up to her name and behave while the rest of her friends caused a ruckus. “I mean, honestly, Zoey, by the time I found Chunk he had so many Peanut M&M’s stuffed into his cheeks he couldn’t even talk,” I’d tell her as she would collapse into a fit of giggles, my level of silliness obviously meeting her approval. Years later, she still asks me what kind of trouble Lulu gets into and if Chunk’s favorite M&M color is still red.
Now that she’s in kindergarten, I often wonder how she managed to get so big, so fast. There are days that I will come across something of hers that evokes this nostalgia of her as an infant. A baby blanket or a stuffed animal will transport me back to her nursery, rocking her to sleep as I breathed in her sweet scent, and holding her in a way that I am unable to now. As bittersweet as those memories are, they make me so incredibly happy, because they are part of who she was and, more importantly, who she is becoming, which is someone I absolutely adore.
Most recently, she has become a child who not only wants to hear about my day but tell me about hers, too. So although our nightly ritual has changed, I love what it has turned into: A back and forth conversation about the good things and the not-so-good things, celebrating the good things and talking about what we can do to make the not-so-good things better. I do this now because I always want to know what’s going on in her life, and I want her to know that I’m always here to listen to her, no matter what.
Zoey laughs—yes, that’s right, laughs—in her sleep, so it comes as no surprise to me that she never really has any not-so-good things that happen during her day. Her stories are always silly (I mean, she did learn from the best) and fun and positive and simple (as in the “My pencil today wasn’t just yellow, it was RAINBOW-colored and not only was it sharpened, it had an ERASER” type). I know at some point these stories will change, so for now I relish them. If you ever want to be entertained or just need a good laugh, ask a five-year-old to tell you about their day.
But the story she told me the other night? Well, let’s just say it wasn’t about her pencil. It was a million times better than that, and let’s be honest: freshly sharpened rainbow-colored pencils are pretty darn amazing, so this story was one of the best, if not THE best.
It went like this:
“Okay, so let me tell you the silliest thing about today,” she says, her hands moving and her eyes scrunching up because her smile is so big.
“I can’t wait to hear it,” I tell her, my smile matching hers.
She starts giggling, slapping her palm against her forehead as she shakes her head. “I mean, it’s just so silly, but I was in gym class today and in the middle of playing our game, out of nowhere, pops into my head. And you KNOW how much I love that song.”
“Of course,” I say as I nod emphatically. “Besides, who doesn’t love that song? It’s the best.”
Zoey’s eyes light up. “Right?!” she agrees. “Anyways, it was in my head, and then all of a sudden I couldn’t keep it in there anymore so I just start singing it. Out loud. Right there, right in the middle of gym. And it felt SO good to get it out of my head and everyone looked at me like I was crazy but I was so happy and I didn’t care, so you know what I did, Mommy?”
“Tell me.”
She jumps off the bed and poses, pausing dramatically for effect.
“I just kept singing.”
And, as if on cue, her little legs start moving as she breaks out in song, “I got that sunshine in my pocket, Got that good soul in my feet…” Her hand reaches out to me, and of course, I take it and join her in celebration of the best. story. ever.
Like I said, I love who she’s becoming. I love everything she is, and I especially love the fact that today, she just kept singing. It’s what I want for her today, tomorrow, and always.
But as we performed our little song and dance party, I couldn’t help but wonder: when is it that we stop singing? Why do we lose our songs? If I want Zoey to keep singing, shouldn’t I do the same?
Just keep singing.
So I’ve decided that’s what I’m going to do. I’ve also decided I’m going to keep remembering. Remembering what it’s like to be a kid again, where everything is amazing and fun and wonderful and exciting and new and just so. darn. cool. and where sometimes, you just don’t care what other people think. Where you want to tell stories about your day because you did something that actually was story-worthy.
I want to remember these things because I think they will help bring more color and light to my days, and in the process, allow me to better help Zoey create the brilliant masterpiece that her life is becoming. I might not be able to do much, but I can certainly do that, and while I might not do it right, I’ll at least be an active, engaged, and happier participant in the process.
Justin Timberlake was right. It is something magical.
I love this. Just beautiful. Your daighter sounds amazing.
I really enjoyed ready this! Your little girl has a beautiful spirit. Sounds like she gets it, already ☺ I’m sure it makes you proud for her to be so confidant in who she is. We all need to hold on to those unique areas of our lives and just keep singing. 😎
I love this-your daughter sounds like a intelligent, beautiful girl!
So beautiful. I’ve totally stopped singing. Too stressed and worn out, but your little one has inspired me to try.
This brought happy tears to my eyes. You are raising such an independent, intelligent, FUN young woman. You should be proud!
This is amazing. Such a big smile over here. I love kids–adults sure have a lot to learn from them!! Keep singing!
What a beautiful post. She’s going to treasure these memories one day!
I love this post. Kids are amazing. Enjoy it & keep the memories. The great thing about this post is you’ll always have it to relive the memories with her.
xo, Lynn N.
http://emmaandrose.com
Pinterest/Twitter: @emmaandrose
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Aww what a lovely story! Your little girl sounds like a real character. Now that my older baby is 3 we are just getting into that phase of an actual back and forth conversation. And it’s wonderful. Some of the things he says and does.. And how he says them.. Just magical. Makes being a parent the most rewarding thing in the world.
What a sweet post…. Your daughter sounds so amazing! Thanks for sharing…
Aww your child is cute, i can’t sing as i am staying with other people who dislike any form of noise! 🙁
You can sing without having to use your voice 🙂
This is probably the best post I have EVER read. I can just imagine the whole scenario! What a wonderful tradition you have with your daughter! Such a great little story she told you AND you should write a children’s book about those animal adventures. I’ll illustrate it for you! 😘
I actually have the story started. It’s always been my dream to write a children’s book! Thanks for the love 🙂
Your daughter sounds like such a lovely, wonderful, and adorable girl. I bet you must be so proud! And I’m sure you raised her well 🙂
This post made me so happy! It’s so true that as you get older you are so consumed with daily life and with what other people think that you don’t take the time to sing!!
That safe haven we give our kids – it’s more than that, because it’s not just safe, it’s exalted – shows them it’s not only safe to sing and be themselves, but that anything less is selling themselves short. I say that there doesn’t have to be a time for us to stop singing. We might lose a bit of the gusto, but as long as we keep singing, well, that can be learned again.
A promising sign is that of storytelling, and story listening, which you both do so well. That’s akin to the singing. It’s all a story, really, just some is set to music.
And I see tons and tons of it between you.
I love this! What an awesome little lady she is.
i LOVE LOVE this post, the story and the reminder. I love how kids can teach us the most powerful lessons sometimes 🙂
What a beautiful story! They bring so much joy to our lives!
How magical your daughter is. This story gave me goosebumps. I love how open minded and true to herself she is. Lets all take a note out of her book and just let it all out!
Oh friend, this is SO powerful!!! “A back and forth conversation about the good things and the not-so-good things, celebrating the good things and talking about what we can do to make the not-so-good things better. ” What a legacy you are leaving for her!!!!!
What a great story! This story had me smiling the whole time. I’m really going to just ‘Keep Singing’ and be like a kid. Having fun and finding the awesomeness in everything!
I love this story, I think we should all try to be a little more like Zoey!
My 5yo has just started telling me about his day, and it’s so great! I love those little conversations!
Awh what a cutie! I love channeling my inner child and being less adult like. We can learn so much from our little munchkins.
Oh my gosh, my heart! What a sweetie! I was a singer for years (I guess I still am technically, but I don’t often do it) and got a tattoo a few years ago that’s an old microphone that says “sing as if no one is listening.” For me, it’s both literal and figurative. I love that your daughter did just that!
This is so precious. It’s so true though. When did we become these serious and somber adults? I want to keep singing 🙂
I love this so much! When do we stop singing? I have often wondered this myself. My daughter loves that song too and loves to sing it at the top of her lungs. We can learn a lot from these little ones.
oh my gosh! This is the sweetest story! She’s sounds like one amazing little girl!!!
Aw, this made me tear up! Your daughter sounds so incredible and I love that our kids can remind us of the beautiful times of childhood. I hope that my daughter never stops singing and I will keep singing and dancing with her to ensure that she doesn’t!
Our kiddos really are our best teachers. Love this!
I hope she ALWAYS remembers to just keep singing. What a sweet little girl!
This is such a beautiful and heart warming post! I hope you write children’s books, cause your style of writing is inviting, image producing and vivid!!! <3
Aw – your daughter is so cute. I LOVE that she laughs in her sleep.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
This makes my heart happy. So happy. Thank you for sharing.
What a great tradition you’ve started! My favorite part of this is how you both get to end the day on such a positive note!! Love, looove that!!
– Kaitlin
kedgotwed.com
You had me at Rumi. Your daughter sounds like an amazing little soul!