I have never agreed with the Wiggles. I made a pact with myself at the age of 15 while sitting in a van surrounded with wiggling toddlers and children.
I was trying to blur out the blaring sound of The Wiggles when I resolved to never introduce my future children to the mosquito like sound.
The Wiggles are invasive. TV, shopping centres, theme parks, magazines... it's all telling me that you can't give your offspring a proper childhood without becoming a Wiggles fan. But I was going to pride myself on conquering this juggernaut!!!
I failed. Three weeks of listening to a Wiggles Christmas in June! They had a few of the slower traditional carols... but those songs needed to be skipped – too boring. Thank goodness it was just a borrowed CD from the library.
Now I try to hide their CDs before our daughter spots them!
There is children's music which is also more easily accepted to my older ears. Some of it was used in the first year to settle our daughter. After a few months of repeating 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' and 'Hush Little Baby' I thought I could use the time familiarising myself with our new Shaun McDonald CD.
I very sneakily sang along with the 'Closer to You' song to help her drift off to sleep.
But it seemed to be the start of our daughter valuing adult music! How convenient!
Along comes Perch Creek Family Jugband. Their saw playing, washboard tapping, ukulele strumming, jug blowing is right up our daughters ally. Every trip in the car needs to be accompanied with the tunes of the Jugband. That is very fine with us – we really enjoy their sound too.
These days our daughter often sits in the back seat singing along word for word to the ever repeating 10th track 'Carper Catinach'.
'If Beethoven is good for babies in the womb, then it must be good for them outside as well' was a fleeting thought I had one day. So I dug out that old CD, blew off the dust, clicked play. I scoop up toddler and begin to unashamedly trot around the room like a horse, climb like a soldier, sneak like a spy, exit like a queen.
Soon the lead changed. My little girl was listening to the music's mood and creating the story. We jumped, we fell,we ran, twirled and floated.
My wife and I have found our daughter lost in her own magical world swimming through the lounge, fluttering like a butterfly, walking as a competitor.
Kid's music: well, it was really good for her to learn about her head, shoulder, knees and toes. Adult's music: maybe it's not that bad for little people after all.
Daniel Stott is a primary school teacher on the Gold Coast and Bible College trained.
Daniel Stott's previous articles may be viewed
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