THIRTY SOMETHING by Catherine Chapman Dinim

IN THE FOG of sleep deprivation and baby brain, saying the wrong word and almost falling asleep at all sorts of inopportune times – but being sleepless when the time is right – I sit down to write a column that Ishi usually writes. While parenting an eight-month-old, teething baby has its frustrations, it is the most joyful task I have ever undertaken.

Years ago, there was a poem going around about having learned everything you really need to know in kindergarten. It talked about being present in the moment and cutting out all the unim-portant stuff that we adults think are important. As an educator, I’ve had the amazing chance to witness kids learning in both school and home environments, but the excitement level ratchets up a notch when it’s your own little one exploring and experiencing for the first time.

Stella is so into music. She has a little wooden drum and a castanet and she loves our singing bowls. When we put music on the stereo, she moves so naturally and easily. Her enjoyment is in every pore, every cell. When I was pregnant with her, I remember being amazed at her sense of rhythm; whether listening to Glenn Gould playing Bach or dancing to German techno til 4:00 AM, she moved in her dark, watery world with ease. She still has that.

Last week, Stella and little Tenzin had the chance to play music together. With a set of bongos between them, a shaker each and two little black spoons, they crashed and banged, singing and calling out to each other, joy apparent on their faces. They are still too young to be consciously creating together, but to see them play off each other, curious about the other little being making the same sound, was so beautiful to watch.

When do we lose this un-selfconscious enjoyment of music or art or moving and being in our bodies? Some adults still have it, holding on to a sense of what we call "childlike." So many people say that they aren’t good singers or that they can’t draw. I know where this comes from, but spending time with children is a great antidote. Kids don’t care if your voice is flat or your stick people are crooked. If you are enjoying yourself creating with them, they will give you back all the joy they find in themselves.

I just today watched a bunch of videos of the kids in the PS22 Chorus in New York City singing their hearts out. They groove with their songs, doing hand gestures and making faces, singing with pure, unbridled joy. Five million people have tuned in on the Internet to see them sing. We are crying out for this kind of feeling! I hope we can all make it happen in our own lives every day.

Resources:
robertfulghum.com/
www.peace.ca/kindergarten.htm
ps22chorus.blogspot.com/

Quotes:
All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.
– Pablo Picasso

Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn.
– Charlie Parker

Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality.
– Beatrix Potter

Catherine is an educator, wife and friend living in Vancouver, BC. She tries to live slowly so she can enjoy the important things. catherinerchapman@gmail.com