Sing, sing a song...

Our 2+ year old is a songstress. Bordering on a diva, which I'll explain in a few minutes. When I say she sings constantly, I'm really not kidding. I typically wake up to the sweet sounds of "Row Row Row Your Boat" or "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", and new friends are more likely to hear a rendition of one of the above instead of a greeting when they first meet her. I have to hold back laughter when I see her standing in front of her little girlfriend (our neighbour) and singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" to her, complete with hand actions. I also asked one of her teachers at daycare if she sings a lot and this was the response I got, "All.Day.Long", with pauses between words for emphasis. She loves to sing.

Now I say she has some diva in her because she is a solo artist. Try and sing with her (unless she specifically asks) and a hissy fit ensues. "No, No, No Mommy!" (one hand held out in front of her in the STOP position, mouth turned down in a pout) "You don't sing. NO" Well okay then, sweet pea. I typically tell her it's rude to be so abrupt with her "NO" and that singing together is fun. She will occasionally concede and tell me I can sing "Row Row Row Your Boat", which she likes to mash up with "Ba Ba Black Sheep" or "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Sometimes I have to concentrate really hard to keep in tune as we do a round. She has a knack for letting me start and then coming in after the first verse, but with a totally different song. How is it that she doesn't get lost in the words, and I have a hard time keeping up? I blame the monotony of the material...

And she isn't just a diva about solo singing, she likes to make each song her own. I always have to cover my mouth to prevent the laughter from bursting out when she stylizes the songs. She sings some parts louder, some softer, sometimes she holds the notes for longer, sometimes she even warbles her voice, and she can flip between songs (halfway through) without missing a beat. It's crazy, and so freakin' cute.

So I guess we'll see if this early singing turns into something she loves throughout her life. Hard to say, but for now she's working the spotlight. I just hope the repertoire expands soon because if I have to sing one more rendition of "Row Row Row Your Boat" I may just row myself right over the waterfall...