Bedtime is one of my favorite parts of the day. It’s not just the peace that comes after a long day of noisy boys. Nor is it the moment when all the kids disappear into their rooms and I can have an adult conversation without any arguing or fart noises, without any sounds of armed attack or crying or complaining. That is nice though.
It’s the whole bedtime routine I love. The reading and the cuddling, the singing, the tucking in, the million drinks of water, the giggling and talking long after they were tucked in. I especially love it when Dave is home and he sings to the kids. Dave has this amazing ability to remember any song he’s ever heard. He can sing all the words, he’s got the general tune. From a tone deaf wife, who can’t remember the words to the “Wheels on the Bus”, I’m constantly amazed. I rarely participate in this nightly singing ritual. It’s too much pressure for me. I am glad that my children haven’t inherited this fear of performing. Nathaniel will sing along whether it’s the hundredth time or the first he’s heard the song. He’ll sing along even if the song’s in a different language. It’s rather sweet.
Dave’s song selection runs the gambit from Contemporary to hymns. The twins especially love the duck song, it’s usually their first request, it’s the Freebird of our house. They also regularly request The Man in the Moon Song,but Dave normally saves that one for the eve of a business trip.
When Dave is gone, the song repertoire is much smaller (and sometimes replaced with an extra chapter or picture book). I class it up with songs like: Jesus loves me, The Barney Theme song, the ABC song, George of the Jungle, or Jingle Bells Batman Smells (as an aside, my cousin taught the kids this song when he came to visit. When he left the twins told me how impressed they were that he had made up such an amazingly awesome song right on the spot. I let them go on believing he was the author of that little gem.)
Some nights, when Dave is singing, I’ll walk down the hall and hear Our God is awesome God, in Spanish. Or maybe some B.I.G.G.Y. Nothing is really off limits for Dave, but each session is normally ended with a hymn. Nothing sounds sweeter than a couple of five-year-olds singing about Jesus.
Overactiveovaries 