Monday, January 25, 2010

You Never Know What Matters...

I try so hard to feed my sons' brains and hearts and souls. To expose, but not pressure, to encourage discipline, but not cripple with expectation. It is hard. I feel I have no model. I had lots of exposure--by Seventies standards--but not much attention to me, and what I might have been good at. Whatever. I am just trying to pay attention for my boys.

Theo has music at school. It is a sweet program and I like the teachers. They have been doing a lot of Peter, Paul and Mary--which is an orgasmic experience for me, the child of the Sixties. It was a time when folk music was so far-reaching that even my buttoned up US Navy father played the guitar, the ukelele and endlessly played Peter Paul and Mary. We sang those songs over and over, in the car, in the rocking chair, everywhere.

So now Theo learns.

A few weeks ago they started learning This Land is Your Land. He learned one verse, and he was proud. And when we drove to Phoenix through the desert he sang it. I told him there were more verses, and I tried to remember. I stumbled through a few. When we got home I searched on the internet and printed out the words. Sometimes I come into his room after I have tucked him in bed, and there is the piece of paper with the words, folded and unfolded, lying on his bureau. He got up to verse 2, then verse 3.

Last night I told him I would come to school sing today. This morning, after I hauled him out of bed, I saw him crouched on the floor in his bedroom with the piece of paper, reading and rereading the verses. Hurry, I shouted. Hurry.

We went, and sat as his class sang with Teacher William. I saw Theo crouching behind his friend, with his wad of paper unfolded, all the verses of This Land Is Your Land in front of him. He was ready to sing, verses I-5.

They didn't sing that song today. But of all the things I do, who would have thought that printing out the words to that song would have meant anything at all?

I guess you just have to throw it at the wall and see if it sticks...

2 comments:

jecca said...

We too have words from the internet printed out all over the house - some for Ian (Angelina Magdalena -sp?, The Ship Titanic, or ukelele songs for his new band), Two Little Boys, Little Donkey and My Grandfather's Clock for Ruth. Now she's doing Oliver too so I guess Food Food will be next. The next generation of singing Macs seems pretty safe!

jecca said...

Oriana plucked something from her usual repetoire today (Soldier, Soldier or perhaps Tinkle Tinkle... or maybe one of the carols she's finally getting to grips with, I don't remember). At the end of her rendition, in which clarity of words and great volume made up for any lack of tune, she threw herself on the sofa "Oh, I tan't sing" she wailed. Did she know it was tuneless or was it carefully loaded so that I'd beg for an encore?!