Born Singing
Videos: My daughter sings daily.
Always Singing
We joke that she came out of the womb singing, ready to narrate the world with pitch and dynamics, rhythm and ring. She would sing at the dinner table, about how beautiful Mom is or whether her meal had good noodles. She'd belt out with joy, a song of her day and the food that she wouldn't pause singing to put in her mouth.
She'd always sing in the car, always. We'd back out of the driveway and the musical would commence-sometimes nursery rhymes or Disney songs, and sometimes her own creations, again often commentaries on her day.
She'd sing in the tub with her Barbies. I never had to worry if she was safe. I could do chores across the house, because her belting told me she was breathing.
Cali still sings, though its not as silly or self-inspired. She still lets loose fully, though, in the shower.
My girl of many witty, clever words, who spoke full sentences at a year old. My Evie, Teen Angel and Scarecrow. My voice, guiding me through motherhood.
I cannot sing much at church because my moments of speaking need to be rationed, and because the more physically forceful nature of singing thrusts the tongue against painful teeth and gums. But she sings at church and holds me during, leaning against me or with her arm wrapped around mine. I am usually tense and resistant to touch but she fuses her body to me anyway, teaching me to touch even when my alarm system perceives it as a threat.
She sings for me and I soar-above what must be done or even what is. Her voice is all that matters and I follow it to the birthplace of myself.
We will keep entering the world in song, if she just keeps singing, setting me firm and free.
More Videos
I probably have hundreds of videos of my daughter singing but these are my favorites.
Made-up song
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Love is an Open Door with Dad
Camp Songs
Daniel Tiger
Halloween