As a singer/songwriter, I often sing with children in preschool, and sometimes we make up songs together, or change lyrics to songs to include all the different ideas the children suggest.
Sometimes when we're singing at circle time, kids get silly and crazy and make weird noises instead of singing or listening. Over time I've learned to focus that creative energy into making up new verses, or singing the whole tune only on the word "Meow." More kids tend to sing along when it's time to sing "Meow" or "Blah" instead of the words.
But there's one exception.
A long time ago I heard a song called "My Mommy Comes Back" by Hap Palmer. The chorus stuck in my head:
"My mommy comes back, she always comes back
She always comes back to get me
My mommy comes back, she always comes back
She never would forget me."
I had forgotten that there were verses to the song until I looked it up to link it to this post. When I started teaching preschool I began singing the chorus to kids who were missing their mommies. Then I started personalizing the song with the child and parent's names. So for a child named Andrew whose mommy was Jennifer, for example, I would sing:
"Jennifer comes back, she always comes back
She always comes back to get Andrew
Jennifer comes back, she always comes back
She never would forget Andrew."
Always, when singing this song, there is no silliness. There are no "Blah" or "Moo" sounds. The child I'm singing to stares into my eyes, and the other children nearby fall absolutely silent, listening. As soon as the song is over, the chatter begins: "Now do MY mommy! My mommy's name is Claire." "Sing my dad now." "My daddy's name is Mark." "Now my Nana." "Now my Grandpa." Then everyone listens quietly again as the song is sung, over and over, each child contemplating that most important piece of knowledge in their lives: that a loving adult will always come back to get them.
Sometimes I sing songs to lighten the mood, to practice phonemic awareness, to play a game, to get to know each other's names, to wait for our friends, to learn a concept, or just for fun. But "My Mommy Comes Back" is the most important song I've ever sung to kids, and it's an honor every time I do it.
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Here's the link to Hap Palmer's video:
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