We’re still learning how to put Kai to bed, or simply to calm him down. Talking and singing softly is one of the things we find works.
We’ve been singing to Kai some of the songs we know from when we were kids. And yes, we already knew that ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’, ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep‘ and The Alphabet Song all have the same tune.
But it’s the lyrics of some of the songs that can be scary. Take the Chinese version of Frere Jacques (Are You Sleeping Brother John) for instance.
For one, it’s got nothing to do with a sleeping brother John, but two tigers with what insurance companies call total disabilities. It goes something like:
Two tigers
Two tigers
Running fast
Running fast
One has no eye(s)
One has no tail
How odd
How odd
Don’t bluff lah, what odd? You ate the tail and eyes for medicinal reasons, you Chinese children’s song composer! That’s why the poor cats are running!
Kai might sleep well after, but I’m more afraid of myself going to bed having nightmares of deformed tigers.
So I’ve taken to humming instead, but Naomi thinks that’s copping out. She’s chosen to make up nonsense lyrics which are not scary like Chinese songs are, and which incorporate Kai’s name somewhere, so they could go:
Something something Baby Kai, something something Baby Kai.
But she also found what someone called ‘the best and worst song I’ve? ever heard in my life’, and what’s probably gonna be the song we sing to Kai for until we get sick of it:
From miyagi.sg: Scary songs for children http://tinyurl.com/mjckdx
Nice blog good content I enjoy reading it! thanks..
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all this time i thought my three year old was singing the mandarin equivalent of 3 blind mice! running fast eventhough there's no mention of the butchers wife, but only 1 in 3 was blind and the carving knife only chopped 1 tail! how odd! thanks for clearing that up!
as for sleep inducers…i found our old ACS hymn book to be an excellent resource. top hits, all of them!
my little kid does not fear when we tell him scary stuffs…I don't know why,maybe because he never felt afraid ,I hope someone will tell me something ;thank you
I must find the hymnal. But ACS boys should never sing Chinese songs (unless they're Taiwanese pop sensation J.J. Lin, cos if you have $ you area allowed to be a disgrace to the school).
You thought it was 3 blind mice? I thought there was a version about 3 types of tofu.
thank you for your post
my little kid does not fear when we tell him scary stuffs…I don't know why,maybe because he never felt afraid ,I hope someone will tell me something ;thank you
my little kid does not fear when we tell him scary stuffs…I don't know why,maybe because he never felt afraid ,I hope someone will tell me something ;thank you
Each and every time my son ever told me he is afraid of whatever non sense people has said to him , I always denunciate the lies to him. Fear blocked success. So why teaching and raising our children in whatever may be fearful.
What is the use of living in fear and cultivating and upgrading fear
I've seen this movie somewhere
that’s very nice
great article,thanks for sharing