Tales from Toddlerhood: The Christmas Song, Part 1

Each year, the children in our church sing a song in front of the congregation for Christmas.  It's really been a quite precious experience for me thus far, watching our friends' kids sing their song in varying degrees of fear or enjoyment, depending on the child.

I was totally unprepared to find out that Benjamin's Sunday School class would be joining in this year.  How it's possible that I have a child old enough to be a part of a "children's chorus" is a topic we will leave for another time.  I'm enjoying my denial right now.

For those of you who might not have met Benjamin, he's a little shy.  Or a lot shy.  He just needs to be in his element.  Which is at home.  Or occasionally at Aunt Sherry's house.  With no one watching.  Unless it's on Skype, but that also is a totally different topic.  (The kid knows how to show off for the grandparents!)

Anyway, we decided that we would encourage him to join the children in singing, even to the point that Daddy would accompany him up to the front and crouch with him in the line of two and three-year-olds.  Realistically speaking, there is no way he's going to actually sing.  We will consider it a victory if he stands beside Daddy for the whole song.  After all, he's barely two, the youngest little squirt up there.  (I'm comforting myself with that fact instead of dwelling on how-in-the-world-my-baby-boy-is-old-enough-to-be-doing-this-at-all.)

So this Sunday, Daddy and Benjamin came home from church with a copy of the song's lyrics and we decided that we would all practice together.  It was both precious and heart-breaking … Benjamin clearly knows the words to the song.  He can fill in whatever blank Daddy leaves while saying the lines.  And when Daddy sings it, Benjamin is barely, almost imperceptibly mouthing the words along with him.  But as we practiced, I could sense the anxiety building up in him.  His normally fair complexion got even more pale.  He stood as still as could be, as opposed to running around chaotically as he normally does when we're singing.  He nervously played with his fingers, his pants, his "xyna-done" (xylophone).  And after he a while started quietly repeating to himself, "Simmy sing with you.  Isaac sing with you.  Simmy be right back.  Isaac be right back."  (These are names of his friends from church.)

I teared up it was just so precious and pitiful and I could so remember feeling that exact same way as a child … or an adult, but that yet again is another topic.

Today, we've been continuing to practice the song periodically and he's doing a bit better.  However, according to Benjamin, the words to the chorus are….

"Ho-va, Ha-way-hoo-wa, da Werd will ter-bide." (Jehovah, Hallelujah, the Lord will provide)

I'm sure Mrs. Barb will be thrilled.  :)

We'll let you know what happens on Christmas morning!

*Update: since I first wrote this post, we've continued practicing and improving his comfort level.  Last night, he even said/sang the chorus for Miss Jenn, a friend who stopped by.  Way to go, Buddy!