With all of our children, we have always had a bedtime routine.
It’s worked for us and we’ve never really had bedtime issues and believe me…for that, we are grateful.
The routine is three books (which is negotiable, because depending on which books they pick, there can always be time for an extra book or two), three songs, and to sleep you go.
Monkey in the Middle and Monkey Girl are now reading on their own before bed, but Baby gets to pick his books that we read to him and we pick the books for Tiny.
Everybody, though…everybody loves to be sung to at bedtime.
Starting with Monkey Girl, however, the monkeys started making some…interesting bedtime song requests.
My default songs are Rockabye Baby, Lullabye, and one that my Mom used to sing to me which we just call Sleep My Child.
Oh, there’s also a little song that I sing that they all love and beg for as a 4th song which is just a little ditty that intersperses how much I love them with kisses all over their sweet little faces.
“I love my little Monkey Girl, she is so good to me,” kiss, kiss
“She’s sweet and kind and gentle, la-dee-dee-dee-dee,” kiss kiss
“I love my little Monkey Girl, she is so good to me,” kiss kiss
“She’s sweet and kind and gentle, la-dee-dee-dee-dee,” kiss kiss
However, one night, Monkey Girl (who couldn’t have been more than 3 at the time) said, “Can you please sing this song,” and then she launched into some weird dialogue:
“All aboard!”
“Britney, before you go, there’s something I want you to have.”
“Oh, it’s beautiful! But wait a minute, isn’t this… ?”
“Yeah, yes, it is.”
“But I thought the old lady dropped it into the ocean in the end…”
“Well, baby, I went down and got it for ya.”
“Aw, you shouldn’t have.”
Huh?
But, yep, that’s what she wanted.
Britney Spears. “Oops, I Did It Again.”
And she was very clear that she wanted me to do the weird, random psuedo-Titanic dialogue in the middle of the song.
Baby Monkey (strangely also a fan of Britney Spears) wanted to hear Womanizer, the Batman Theme Song and the SpiderMan Theme Song.
Monkey in the Middle liked the defaults.
That was nice.
And now, Tiny has started with the requests.
He likes Rockabye Baby.
He requests it by saying, “Mom, mom, mom, mom…treetop.”
He likes Lullabye.
He requests that one by saying “Mom, mom, mom, mom…baby seeping.”
So, the other night, I’m rocking him and he says “Mom, mom, mom, mom…”Weahyoung.”
I said, “Sorry sweetie…I don’t understand what you want.”
So, he tried again.
“Mom, mom, mom, mom…Weahyoung.”
Then he kind of sang it a little.
“Weee aaahhh young.”
Then I realized what he wanted.
“We Are Young” by Fun.
Last years major graduation song.
“Tonight
We are young
So let’s set the world on fire
We can burn brighter
Than the sun”
My kids have it perpetually stuck in their head and go around the house singing it.
I am not a fan.
However, I wasn’t really a huge fan of “Womanizer” either.
But I sang it.
So, I sing this.
It doesn’t hurt anyone, it makes them happy.
I have to assume we aren’t the only family with strange bedtime song requests.
I have to assume it or else I’ll think we’re just weird.
So…any strange bedtime song requests you all would like to share?
Daily Gratitude, Day 8
Today I am grateful for warm beds in which to tuck my little sleepyheads.
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