Do You Sing to Your Children?

My little boy and I stand on our balcony each night and sing to the moon before he goes to bed. It has become my favorite time of the day. Sometimes we sing Barges, and if there are stars out we sing Twinkle Little Star. And every night we finish with this song, which is my all-time favorite and another taught to me by my own mother:

I see the moon and the moon sees me
The moon sees somebody I want to see
God bless the moon, and God bless me
And God bless the somebody I want to see.

Most people know that verse, but it's the next verse that I really want my boy to hear:

I really think that God above
Created you for me to love
He chose you from all the rest
Because He knew I would love you the best.

Of course, when we sing together I am not looking at the moon. I've seen the moon before. I'm looking at my boy's face as he sings words that I hope he will always remember.

via

What do you sing to your children?

Barges

Thames sailing river barge via

This is one of my favorite songs to sing to my children. My mother taught it to me.

Out of my window, looking through the night

I can see the barges' flickering light

Silently flows the river to the sea

And the barges too go silently.

Barges, how I'd like to go with you

How I'd like to sail the ocean blue

Barges, have you treasure in your hold?

Do you fight with pirates, brave and bold?

Van Gogh's Barges painted in 1888

My son loves this song because he can see barges on the Cooper River from his bedroom window. It's not exactly Van Gogh, but there's something so peaceful about watching ships pass by silently as they head out or return from a long voyage at sea.