Bedtime

MoonlightI’d like to see Rabbits under the moon
Dancing in winter, dancing in June
Dancing around while twilight lingers
and blinky-eyed stars
look down through their fingers.

I’d like to see rabbits under the moon
but I always,
always
have to go to bed too soon.
~~

I can’t remember who wrote it, but it’s one of the girls’ favorites. They both say it with me as eagerly as they sing “Row row boat.”

I think little kids have a greatly under-utilized capacity to memorize. We do bible verses too, but for now we’re moving a little slowly, for two reasons.

At first it was because we never remembered at the right time to look-up new verses. We were limited to verses that we’d memorized ourselves that didn’t sound too archaic (other than as a performing seal, I see limited value in teaching a 2- and 3-year-old the KJV version of, The Lord’s Prayer, for example). We want re-learn them in a more modern translation so they may be understood sooner with less explanation.

(Is anyone going to jump me for that one?)

Anyway, the verses they currently “know” (like they know the poem) are Genesis 1:1 (Natasha’s current favorite), Proverbs 3:5-6 (both girls recite v. 6 on their own, with great satisfaction, though, if you didn’t know what Melody was saying it wouldn’t make sense), and Eph 4:32.

The second challenge is that, like all children, they like best what is familiar. The girls aren’t very interested in most new verses when we introduce them. For example, earlier this week, when I tried to introduce Luke 6:31, both girls tried to talk over me with the verses they already knew.

After a couple nights they sometimes say it with me, but they haven’t “owned” it yet. Plenty of time, of course. Only, the last couple nights Elisha has needed me at bedtime, so I’ve not been able to do stuff with the girls.

We’ve talked about using the iPod to record a bunch of verses and night-time songs so we can leave it playing for the girls after we (grown-ups) move on to our evening activities (usually writing, for me). I wonder how interested the girls will be it that stuff when it doesn’t come with a lap.

Current favorite songs are Bluebird (bluebird on my window), Swing low sweet chariot, Row row boat, and “Hushabye” (All the pretty little horses).

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