Lullabies to Last a Lifetime

Snuggled and curled up tightly in my mother’s lap, she would rock me to sleep in her rocking chair each and every night before bed. First came the story, and then came the song.

“Hussshhh little baby, don’t say a word…” Even though I was 5 years old at the time, the very same old songs that she had been singing me since I was 8 pounds still soothed me into slumber.

“Mama’s gonna buy you a mo-cking-bird…” That’s when my eyes would lazily close and a soft grin would creep up onto my lips. I’d breathe in deeply and take in her smell, a scent I still remember to this very day. I can even remember the softness of her housecoat and the warmth of her breath on my cheek.

Memorable Moment

It’s amazing how a moment like this, which compared to an entire day, is so short and seemingly insignificant, is something I remember best about my now-gone mother. The comfort and love I felt during those last few moments every day were a lasting memory that I wanted to pass on to my own children when they were young.

When I actually sat down and thought about why I absolutely loved those few moments with my mother every day, I realized that I enjoyed it so because it was just she and I, alone, our attention just on one another. The business of the day, any problems or disagreements or plans, all melted away. The way she would smile at me with her eyes and hold me close always reassured me that I was a good person and that I was worth this kind of love and attention, something that many adults these days are lacking.

More than a Sleeping Aid

On a scientific level, the songs she sang to me each night, as well as any music in general, has also been proven to improve our spatial reasoning. Spatial reasoning improves a child’s abilities in such subjects as science, engineering and mathematics (maybe that’s why I’m a part-time accountant today…?).

No matter how many toys, how many pairs of shoes, what type of school you send your child to or how you choose to discipline them, a simple lullaby is all a child needs to know that, no matter what they have done and no matter who they are, they are loved by the most important person to them on this earth - you.

photo by Paul Cioca