Brahms
The most famous lullaby is Brahms lullaby. You know it, and I know it. Kara has listened to it for years and I'm sure your kids have too. But, I remember being 12, and hearing it 'for the first time'. I had no recollection of ever hearing it before, but when I was 12, I got a wind up bunny that played that song. My memory did this weird deja vu thing. I couldn't remember ever hearing the song, but I knew what the next verse was going to sound like. I asked my mom, how do I know this song? She said, it was on your mobile in your nursery. I thought that was so cool how my brain kept that memory, without letting me access it directly!
Now, as a mom, when I hear that song, it makes me think. How much do we actually remember from when we were babies? Maybe we can't access it directly, but it is hard wired in us and will always be engraved there. I remember when Kara was a baby, I used to talk to her about everything. I would stand at the door and show her the changing leaves on the trees. I'd explain how and why the leaves change. She would look up at me with her little brow furrowed and her little mouth turned into an 'o', out of utter concentration. When she was THREE hours into a colicky crying jag, I would sing myself hoarse (that takes about 40 minutes of straight singing, in case you were wondering). I would sing hymns and praise songs because they were the only songs I knew all the lyrics to without music. It was the only thing that would soothe her - who knows why - my singing voice is awful!
To this day, she loves learning new things - especially about creation. Is it because I used to explain it to her? Who knows? To this day, when she's upset, the only thing that makes her stop crying and pull her out of her little pity party is my singing. Is it because I used to sing to her when she was 2 months old? To this day, she falls RIGHT to sleep when listening to Brahms, Chopin, and Mozart. Is it because we used to listen to those very cds while we were nursing in the middle of the night?
I think our brains are amazing things and I love my Creator for making us this way. :-)
Now, as a mom, when I hear that song, it makes me think. How much do we actually remember from when we were babies? Maybe we can't access it directly, but it is hard wired in us and will always be engraved there. I remember when Kara was a baby, I used to talk to her about everything. I would stand at the door and show her the changing leaves on the trees. I'd explain how and why the leaves change. She would look up at me with her little brow furrowed and her little mouth turned into an 'o', out of utter concentration. When she was THREE hours into a colicky crying jag, I would sing myself hoarse (that takes about 40 minutes of straight singing, in case you were wondering). I would sing hymns and praise songs because they were the only songs I knew all the lyrics to without music. It was the only thing that would soothe her - who knows why - my singing voice is awful!
To this day, she loves learning new things - especially about creation. Is it because I used to explain it to her? Who knows? To this day, when she's upset, the only thing that makes her stop crying and pull her out of her little pity party is my singing. Is it because I used to sing to her when she was 2 months old? To this day, she falls RIGHT to sleep when listening to Brahms, Chopin, and Mozart. Is it because we used to listen to those very cds while we were nursing in the middle of the night?
I think our brains are amazing things and I love my Creator for making us this way. :-)
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