LIVE UNITED Y’All!

Sing, Dance, Play. This is one of the key messages of the Success By 6 Born Learning campaign, and is something we practice with great passion in my home. Like most young children, Luke loves music. And why wouldn’t he? His daddy is a musician, and his mommy…well, mommy loves to sing it and shake it on the dance floor with Luke to the smooth sounds of Children’s Programming on KET.

We do our fair share of the classic children’s songs: “The Wheels on the Bus,” “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” etc. Honestly, is there anything cuter than chubby little sausage fingers acting out the spider climbing up the waterspout or twinkling like a star? Of course there isn’t!

Our absolute favorite family sing, dance and play activity is a full-on jam session. Like a producer or record executive, Luke controls who gets what instrument, who sits where, what the arrangement should sound like, and when we get breaks. Daddy gets the “big guitar,” which is only fitting since daddy has had that guitar since he was all of 12 years old. Luke mans the small guitar and child-sized microphone. Mommy, reduced to a groupie, plays the triangle or tambourine. Producers know where the talent lies.

Then we jam. Daddy knows Luke wants to play The Grateful Dead’s “Bertha” first, a good bouncy tune to “warm up,” so we start with that and move into other genres and styles as the jam progresses.  Luke strums his guitar, sings with the chorus, and dances around like a miniature rock star. He will often remind the rest of us that he is indeed a rock star, shouting “Rock Star!” in the middle of a verse with no provocation, no request to do so. He just wants it known that it is so. When the song comes to an end, Luke will take a bow and say “thank you!” as if he has proudly satisfied the rock needs of thousand of fans at Madison Square Garden on New Years’ Eve. And like some concerts, this can go on for hours. Like a little Jackson Browne, Luke just wants to play a little bit longer.

Sing, Dance, Play. These are the joys of being a parent. It is imperative to share these moments with young children, and a great way to let go of stress in our adult lives.

Are you a parent? Is your child a “Rock Star?” Do you sing, dance and play? I’d love to hear about what you do at your home. Maybe we’ll use it in our next concert.

Education, General Born Learning, early childhood, Success By 6, young children

Nothing weighs on my heart more than when I go about my daily life and come in the path of adults who are negligent or abusive to children. I feel like I encounter this too often. From when I shop, go to the grocery or even sometimes just outside my office window on Broadway as I am working and I can hear people as they wait for a bus.

Wherever life is, too often my ears hear an adult who has met the end of the rope and is berating, threatening or diminishing a child. Our future.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not referring to normal, healthy, loving correction. It’s the situations where tired, crying children are being ridiculed, threatened, and in some cases what I consider assaulted by an adult who is clearly at the end of their rope. I have seen this, and heard this while passerbys seem to tune out the tragedy or just not get involved. 

As our community and our neighbors face unprecedented challenges, daily stress and tensions rise. It is our children that are going to have to bear the costly burden of our solutions, bail outs and mistakes. I hope they are able. 

I had this poem on my bedroom wall as a little girl and I read it often. It reinforces for me that children are born learning.

Children Learn What They Live by Dorothy Law Nolte

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive.
If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel guilt.

BUT

If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident.
If a child lives with praise, he learns to be appreciative.
If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love.
If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth is.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith in himself and in those about him.
If a child lives with friendliness, he learns that the world is a nice place in which to live.

Find your voice. Open your heart. Reach out a hand to one and influence the condition of all.  Metro United Way provides an efficient, easy path to create change, get help, give help, and make an impact for children, adults and our community. And it isn’t just good for the people that are helped. It’s good for you, your family, your company and our community. Wouldn’t you agree that we all win when children succeed, when families are financially stable and when people have good health? We believe it takes everyone in our community working together to create a brighter future. Will you join the Live United movement?

Now more than ever you will find hundreds of rewarding volunteer opportunities and see how easily Metro United Way can connect individuals and groups. If you have a passion for the aging, children, people with disabilities, the homeless, youth, domestic violence, disaster relief, substance abuse, housing, hunger, or education … there’s a way to help make a difference and get started on creating that better tomorrow! United, we can make a difference.

Bring on the sunshine and bring on Spring!

Advocacy, Education, General, Volunteering Born Learning, Children, Community, Live United, Metro United Way