"First Things"

I've noticed something about the child I've been babysitting, something I never noticed with my own babies, or any of my grandbabies... although now that I think back, maybe I do recall something about the oldest grandchild.  

I started reading "Say Moo" to the Little Princess before she was three months old.  It was one of several books her mom brought over.  

I hesitated to read it to the baby, because that is the stupidest-looking cow I ever saw; oh, and I had to make animal sounds all through the book.  But she would sit there and watch as I turned pages, never once getting distracted while I read.  As she grew older, she would pound on each page as I turned (it's one of those baby books with thick, stiff pages).  Sometimes she would lift the book to her mouth and taste a page, and I let her do that.  Now when I read it, she makes comments.  I don't know what she is saying, but they sound like positive comments.

I later picked another book from her collection, just because I wanted to expand her world:  It took awhile, but she warmed up to that one, too.

Now, I really enjoy this one because it REQUIRES me to hug and kiss the baby as I read it.  These days she seems to like it almost as much as "Say Moo", although if you hold them both in front of her and let her choose, she will always choose "Say Moo".  

She has a couple of favorite songs, too.  And they are the first ones I sang to her:  "Amazing Grace" and "Shortnin' Bread".  The latter, however, is her top favorite.  I used to lay her on my lap and clap her hands together as I sang it, bouncing her on my knees.  

Is there perhaps something about first songs, and first books, that comforts a child?  Maybe so, because I still remember how I loved my Little Golden Book of Mother Goose rhymes.  

And I remember how my oldest grandson loved Amazing Grace.  His mother got frustrated when he was small because he would beg her to sing it:  she is no singer and she didn't know the words anyway, so Arick wasn't a happy camper.  

Maybe even children like to reminisce about the "good old days".