This one isn’t so much about the boys as it is about me. In some ways, I came into this whole Daddy thing astonishingly unprepared. For example, I didn’t know any baby songs. All those great little ditties that help out so much when the kids are upset? I had none of them. As you can imagine, this put me at quite a disadvantage.

After spending a couple fumbling attempts trying to learn Itsy Bitsy Spider, I reverted to what I knew best. Since it has seemed to work, I’ve stuck with it.

So, for all those dads in the same boat as I am, let me offer these simple (and probably familiar) suggestions:

Child Crying for No Apparent Reason? Sing softly, but with expression:
"Spider Man, spider man, does whatever a spider can
Can he swing from a thread? Take a look overhead!
Hey there, there goes the spider man!"

Hungry Child Needing Entertainment?
"Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn’t you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go, where everybody knows your name,
Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name!
Boom boom boom-boom!"
(don’t leave out the boom-booms!)

Child in Car at Start of Trip
"Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale,
a tale of a fateful trip.
That started from this tropic port,
aboard this tiny ship…"

Tired Child?
"When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be."

One of My Own Creations
And, because J thinks I should add one of my own creations, here’s my version of that timeless classic "Rock-a-bye baby". As you probably know, the baby doesn’t fare too well in "Rock a bye baby", and the first time I tried to sing it, I discovered the urge to add sound effects. This isn’t conducive to putting a baby to sleep, so I decided to create my own version:
"Rock-a-bye baby in Daddy’s arms
When the Wind Blows,
you’ll come to no Harm

When the storm breaks
and the rain starts to fall
You’ll be aslee-eep,
Dreaming of it all!"