Singing

Given that she's the child of two singers, and her mother comes into her class regularly to musically entertain the kids, one would think that Julia would love music time at school and would enjoy joining in the songs, almost all of which she already knows from hearing me sing them at home. However, this does not appear to be the case; her teachers have told me on more than one occasion that she refuses to sing any of the songs, and whenever I come into her class, not only does she not sing, but she won't even do any of the hand gestures or play any of the instruments to at least take part in the songs in some way. Yes, it's true: the girl who bellows out "Once Upon a Dream" with wild abandon at home will not even open her mouth to sing "Open Shut Them" at school. This afternoon, one of her teachers e-mailed a slideshow of pictures from last month's Pajama Day, and as I looked through the adorable pictures of the kids in their pj's, I came across some photos of music time:



That's right. There she is, sitting the whole thing out, refusing to even stand up with the other kids. I have to say, though, I am absolutely not surprised. This is the kid who glowers at Dora the Explorer when Dora asks the kids to say anything ("Swiper, no swiping!") and purses her lips as tightly closed as possible if I encourage her to chime in (and you should see the look she gives me when I start chanting "Swiper no swiping.") She is very much an observer rather than an active participator. So, I guess for the time being, Julia's musical performances will have to continue in the comfort of her own home, or more specifically, in her absolute favorite spot to sing, on the potty, when she's in there with her shirt on and the door closed for privacy and the stool under her feet.