Almost every night, I sing my children a bedtime song.
But there is more to this story.
The first thing you should know: I’m an awful singer. I can’t carry a tune no matter how hard I try. For this reason, I rarely sing for anyone other than myself.
The second thing you should know: because of the first thing, I don’t generally enjoy singing “for an audience” for an extended period of time. I’m too self-conscious to have fun with it.
BUT. Then I had my first baby and he needed a bedtime song.
I put a lot of thought and effort into what this song should be, although in the end it was actually quite simple: “Soft Kitty,” from the popular television sitcom The Big Bang Theory. It fit many of my criteria. Namely, it was short, I could (mostly) sing it in tune, and also I love cats. (That last one was just an added bonus).
One of the beautiful things about this song was its short, simple, versatile nature. It didn’t matter where we were – visiting family, traveling on vacation, or at home – I could always find time for this bedtime ritual.
As my oldest son grew from a baby to a toddler then a preschooler, he would ask for the song. Every night, without fail, he needed “Soft Kitty” before his bedtime ritual was complete. And, when I had my second son, he also grew to love this song. My husband and I would sing them Soft Kitty, in our genuine but off-key way, and they knew this meant they were loved, they were safe, and we wished them sweet dreams.
I can hardly remember how we transitioned from my oldest NEEDING this song for bedtime, to him not requesting it all any more. You blink, and they grow up.
My youngest, though. He still loves this song. It can be mildly annoying at times. I’ll tuck him in and kiss him goodnight and make sure he has his water and his stuffed animals and his closet door closed and his nightlight set to just the right setting and he’ll call me back through the closed door. “MOOOOM! MOM! SOFT KITTY.”
On numerous occasions, I’ve actually already sang him Soft Kitty but he’s conveniently forgotten and I need to sing it again.
But then.
But then we went through a couple of weeks where he stopped asking me to sing him Soft Kitty at all. I was devastated. I knew the day was going to come where he was going to be too grown-up for Soft Kitty but GOSH DARN IT I WASN’T READY.
Thankfully, Soft Kitty requests returned.
And that, my friends, is what Soft Kitty is to me. Soft Kitty is those fleeting moments that you get with your children for such a short window of time. Soft Kitty is the warm snuggles and uncomplicated I-Love-Yous and how the magic of your presence and off-key voice transforms even the most daunting of tasks (going to bed) into something safe and precious and magical.
The real magic is that I know this now. I know this while he still wants Soft Kitty and goodnight snuggles and extra hugs. And I soak in every single one of those. Every one of those requests is a precious gem.
And I treasure them all.
