The other day ago I pulled the above drawing out of Abby's backpack. At first glance the picture looked so much like all the others I pull out day after day. However, after a moment I noticed that the little girl on this particular drawing was not as happy as she usually is.Later that evening I approached Abby with her art and asked her why the little girl was frowning. We had the following conversation....
"She is frowning and crying, mom."
"Is the little girl you?"
"No, its not me."
"Well, who is it and why is she sad, then?"
"Its the girl from the song you sing."
"Huh? What song? Do I sing sad songs?"
"The song about the girl. She woke up and her love wasn't there anymore. So she cried. She was really sad. See all the dark clouds covering the sun in the sky I drew."
It took me a minute to realize what she was talking about. And then it clicked. One of my all-time favorite songs from growing up is you are my sunshine, a song that I always considered happy. I occasionally sing it to the kids at bedtime. Here are the lyrics in case you are not familiar.
You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy
When skies are grey
You never know dear
How much I love you
Please dont take my sunshine away
The other night dear
As I lay sleeping
I dreamt I held you in my arms
When I woke up dear
I was mistaken
So I hung my head and cried.
Abby had obviously internalized the second verse, and thought about it some time during that day at school. In all honestly I don't think I had ever even thought about what the second verse meant and how sad it actually was. I was extremely impressed that she could pick up on such deep feelings and put them into art. My little girl is maturing before my eyes.
7 comments:
Aren't children's minds amazing...they just pick up on everything. I know you don't like to say it, but I truly think Abby is advanced for her age :o)
Children are incredibly astute, perceptive and more impressionable than we think. Abby has a sensitve and caring dimension to her personality and isn't that wonderful.
Yeah- I have noticed a lot of kids' songs are kind of morbid! Like "Ring Around the Rosey-" I guess it was written about a fire or famine or something that killed everyone...
And a song that my 6-year-old cousin sings (and everyone knows):
Rock-a-bye baby
On the treetop
When the wind blows
The cradle will rock
When the bow breaks
The cradle will fall
And down will come baby
Cradle and all...
?? What in the world is a baby doing on the top of a tree? And then falling down from the top of the tree?? Scary!!
One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. "Oh, no," I said. "Disneyland burned down." He cried and cried, but I think that deep down, he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late.
See... I get the title!
Man, she is smart. There's a few of those children's songs that are like that, makes me wonder who wrote them and...why?
Hi Share, I have finals Friday so I wanted to wish you a wonderful birthday now. :) I know the smily face is out of character for me but I feel unusually peppy today.
your kids crack me up? that is my most favorite lulliby but i never go past the first verse. i know, it's weird. they all are. ashes, ashes...you know. it's got weird holicaust meaning. get your surfing down. we need some more surfing-moms-that-suck around here. hey moons! why can't we access you? what are you hiding? you makin secret plans?
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