Today, before, “good morning,” or “what’s for breakfast,” my littlest man opens his eyes and declares, “I can sing anytime I want to.”
He’s saying it, not in a “you’re not the boss of me way’” but rather as though it’s just occurred to him that his voice will work on command, that he is able to sing if ever the mood strikes him.
This pleases him to no end, and he commences to singing about everything… “I want some milkie now… la la la la la la… I think the bed is wet… hmmm hmm hmm hmm ha… you can’t have fries for breakfast…. mmmm mmm mmm mm mm…. maybe chocolate though… la la la la la la”
He had us all completely doubled over in laughter.
His brother spit milk across the table, laughing so hard.
And then Ryder sang about that too.
I cannot help but be amazed by this child, by all of them really.
If they want to try on a new hat, they just do.
If they feel like skipping, they do that too.
They are not afraid to stand out.
They are not afraid to try something, and maybe fail.
They don’t care who is looking.
They are not the kind of people who settle for being a cheap imitation of someone else’s ideal. They are the real thing.
I think they are pretty wise. So, today, I was the student. I sat right down and painted with them. I did what they did. I didn’t try to make anything in particular, I just mixed colors, smooshed my hands across the painted pages, made swirlies with the brush, and sang, about everything and nothing at all.
And you know what? They’re on to something here.
It feels really good to stop thinking so much, to just play, to know that you can sing anytime you want to.
{ 19 comments }
Beautiful photos to match a special, yet everyday, story. I too love the way my little ones dance, sing, yell, laugh when they want, with abandon. Ari went through a great stage of doing the knobbly knees song everywhere we were – at home, walking down the street, in the supermarket – and yes you wobble and knobble your knees a lot!
Have a lovely day just learning and listening and laughing.
oh my, they really are on to something. love this – have a great weekend! may it be filled with song.
my littlest one is a singer too – she sings about all of it – love, loss, what she wants for dinner. We love it.
After the week you’ve had, it must have been so fulfilling to just be with the boys in their space yesterday. Soak it all up before you leave for Japan!
Such gorgeous pictures, I love the pinecones and the processing on that tree. I’m inspired to play with color again.
lovely, lovely, lovely. the voice, the song, the freedom to play. lovely, all of it.
I find it so HARD to just sit and play. I’m always consumed by my “to do” list, feeling like I should be doing something else. My boys, however, have none of that baggage and can imagine themselves an entire world to play in for hours on end.
I think it’s great that you can spend some time in your boys’ world. Maybe this weekend I can try to be more open to that myself.
Very nice Stef, very nice. I think we all can learn a lesson from that.
It is truly grand discovering freedom and personal power, isn’t it? Even if this is a rediscovery for us bigger folk. I like it very much, being reminded that “I can sing whenever I want to.” I can dance whenever I want to. I can shine whenever I want to. I can become inwardly still whenever I want to.
That’s a “wow” kind of awareness…
I hear ya on this topic
– Molly
Love your new banner.
And, yes, our children can teach us so much. Have a blessed weekend.
a little tune came to mind after I read your post, “sing for your supper and you’ll get breakfast” the Mamas and the Papas have a version.
Nice thoughts!
beautiful post :^)
and i’m sure you guessed, but jack does the exact same thing — like a junior opera star. and i sing back to him. “where are my shoooooes?” “i don’t knooooooooow…”
such a great post…another reason why you are my mama inspiration:)
hope your weekend is filled with song, too, stefani!
awesome. i’ve noticed my daughter, at 7, to be more free than her school-going peers. which makes me happy. she absolutely does what she want and tries things even if they don’t work.
(yet another reason…)
What beautiful images and words here.
I love those antlers!
As my own son ran into school today with his orange Pumpkin hat I knitted him so many years ago (and he’s now 11, I am so glad he’s content with who he is. I hope that strength remains through all of the transition we’re going through…
What a perfect lesson; we should listen to our children more often.
There is definitely a message in here for me…sing more, play more, think less. Just now coming out of my own bit of a doom and gloom mood. Coffee and chocolate for us all!!!
I am so in love with this post.
And that Ryder? He never ceases to inspire me.
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