Singing for Sanity

Being a mom can be a bit of a trial sometimes. Shocking, I know. In the midst of all the unconditional love and laughing until I almost pee myself, there is a woman on the verge of losing her mind. Daily.

I've found something that helps me make it through, though. I inherited it from my dad. Growing up, my dad was always kind of shy in public (much like I am), but at home he kept the laughs coming. Only a few of our close friends got to witness this phenomenon. My dad was very talented at coming up with the most random songs and ditties, out of nowhere. He wasn't a fabulous singer, but it didn't matter in the least. Any tune would do; a popular song, a jingle from an ad, an old children's melody, even a hymn! He would transform it into his own chorus about some random thing. It was hilarious! Some of my fondest childhood memories are of my dad's crazy songs (and him playing air trombone to accompany himself!).

I guess that's why it comes naturally to me. I have a handful of little songs that I sing to the kids, mostly about how cute they are or how much I love them. I sing to the tune of random songs, just like my dad did. I even have little ditties to accompany all of my ringtones on my phone, haha. And the kids know them too, and I catch them singing them sometimes! I'm not sure whether to be proud or embarrassed, but it sure is cute. I'd like to think that I'm imparting the same wonderful memories into my kids that my dad gave to me. The only problem is when I accidentally start singing in public, like at the grocery store or gym. Singing is definitely not my talent, I feel bad for those that accidentally have to be subjected to it! Especially when I don't have the kids with me, it must sound so random. Whoops! Oh well, I know my dad did it too. =) It's also embarrassing when I'm at the mall with Judith and we hear the song "Poker Face" in a store and Judith loudly exclaims "MOMMY!!! It's your SONG!!!!" Although, my version of the song is "Pookie Face", Pookie being my nickname for Ruthie...

In doing this instinctively, I've discovered that it isn't just a silly creative outlet for me, and fun entertainment for the kids. It also helps me keep my sanity. It doesn't really make sense when I think about it, but oh well. It's definitely a coping mechanism for me. I find that singing one of my songs when I'm frustrated, angry, tired, overwhelmed etc helps my mood so much. It helps me endure and do what I need to do without having a complete mental breakdown, or anxiety attack, which I am prone to. It helps me take myself less seriously, and get over petty little unimportant things, like not having the chance to eat or sleep. =P

Being silly and singing about how much I love my kids gets me through the day. I'm so thankful that my dad modeled this for me. And I hope that my kids grow up with the same hilariously fond memories of me, that I have of him.