***This is a special contributor piece from Susan Boothe — our mother:)). Thanks MOM! She is responsible for so much of the love of music that has come to the Boothe Family. Enjoy!***
This time of year, we often hear conversations that revolve around the question “Do you like Halloween?” I actually heard a conversation about just that while driving and listening to the radio this morning. I really want to put out my own take on the matter, so here it is:
I am not a fan of anything scary. I never frequent haunted houses. I don’t watch scary movies. Honestly, I would rather do 10 hours of heavy house cleaning than do either of those, and thinking of paying to do one of them is sickening to me. I don’t like gory skulls sitting in my house; for that matter, I don’t like anything gory sitting in my house, even shut up in a box. Now, I have absolutely no bone to pick with anyone who just loves being scared. Go for it; but my own make-up simply does not lean that way.
However, I do like Halloween. Little ones dressed up as their favorite princess or hero – well, I can’t imagine anything more fun than that. Tiny pumpkins, ghosts, skeletons are the best! My cute little witches that mesmerize my grand-children are some of my favorite things. My black, bedazzled, feathered witch’s hat holds a special place in my heart, as does my black velvet head band with a four-inch rhinestone spider. So, I am a lover of cute Halloween; call me silly!
Now, try to imagine what a three- or four-year-old is thinking when he or she is over-the-moon at being able to dress as a dinosaur, and then finding out that not only is dressing like that okay, but you get candy dropped in your bag when you do it! Oh my! The wonder and the delight!
So, what I really love is the wonder and the delight – I admit it. That wonder is even better for those watching it than it is for those experiencing it. (And, teaching the importance of “thank you” is a great by-product.) When my children were young, I loved watching for the wonder in many things — which leads me to the wonder and delight of music.
Watching for the wonder in music experiences was worth every bit of work and money that was put into them. AND, one of the really sweet things is that the wonder of great music experiences never ends It becomes more sophisticated, but never ends. I still love witnessing the wonder of my three 30-somethings as they experience music! Admittedly, their wonder now is much different than the wonder they soaked up when they played “Bingo Was His Name” without a single mistake and received all kinds of praise and applause for it. Wonder is such an important part of child development, and such a lovely opportunity to build self-esteem and a spark of intrigue into life.
So…bring on all of the wonder and delight that music can bring. Has music brought wonder and delight to you? If so, we would love to hear you experiences in the comments below.