Lullabies Last A Lifetime
©2006 Beth Lawrence

Her sweet voice buzzed around my head like a lazy beehive as she sang ‘rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine’. I felt myself drifting off to sleep, but I didn’t want the moment to end. I forced my heavy eyes open with a flutter of the lashes. There was that beautiful face beaming down at me. “Mommy, just one more,” I begged as my eyes languidly closed again. “No more songs for tonight. It’s time for you to go off to the Land of Sleepytime,” she said with a smile. “Till’ the morning, my sweet,” she cooed as she shut the light. And with her loving glow cast about me I sailed off to sleep on the winged remnants of my mother’s lullaby.

It’s amazing how strong certain childhood memories can be, and how they can vividly endure throughout a lifetime. As parents and grandparents then, we should attempt to create as many magical memories as possible for our children, grandchildren, and in fact, all children we come in contact with.

My mother gave me the greatest bedtime gift I could have asked for: her undivided attention, her precious and beautiful voice, and her overwhelming love. She turned bedtime into a positively anticipated event by weaving a spell over me with words and song. Singing and reading to your child not only stimulates their imagination, but also creates neural pathways in the brain, which determine learning capacities for the entire life of the child into adulthood.

Music has been proven to improve spatial reasoning, or how we perceive our visual world. Spatial reasoning helps children in the areas of math, engineering and the sciences. But beyond laying the groundwork for a healthy intellect, reading and singing to your child give parent and child the opportunity to share loving moments together that are exclusively theirs. Holding, rocking, massaging and hugging your baby while singing to him/her creates an incredibly loving bond.

I like to think of lullabies as ‘love made audible’. Even if you’re self-conscious about your singing voice, remember that your baby thinks it’s the most beautiful sound in the world! Your voice is familiar and soothing. To me, my mother’s voice was like an Angel’s. She enchanted me with her singing, and her lullabies made me feel safe, secure and cherished, as yours will.

In this age of technology it’s easy to overdo it on educational toys and gadgets. Yes, toys are great. They stimulate the baby’s brain and imagination, and teach him how to make sense of his world. But don’t overlook the simply and pure magic of a story or lullaby delivered with undivided, loving attention. Those moments and melodies will remain engraved in the heart and mind of your child forever. A lullaby, what a profound and simple gift!

©2006 Beth Lawrence’s lullaby CD, Land of Sleepytime…lullabies for the heart and soul, won the National Parenting Publications Gold Award. Beth is the CEO of Viva La Voice!, a company offering private coaching, workshops in the performing arts, and music camps for women. Beth has developed The Lawrence Vocal System; a holistic approach to voice coaching and therapy honoring the connection of body, mind and spirit. To learn more and hear Beth’s music: www.VivaLaVoice.com

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