You may say I’m just a glutton for punishment to have bought the girls such noisy toys…that no parent in her right mind would purchase the components for a two-piece band…no, not for a couple of 21-month olds! And aren’t those type toys usually purchased by the likes of grandparents, to force their children to pay for their raisin’???
I’m actually really excited about having gotten the girls their first musical instruments.
I grew up enjoying music and dance, and my husband lived and breathed soccer (and still does, although less frequently than he’d like these days). Although we’re very passionate about our own passions, we both agree that we want the girls to come into their own…to like music and/or dance and/or soccer and/or basket-weaving...without feeling pushed from Mom and Dad in a certain direction.
That said, the only things Hubby has actually bought the girls – by himself and of his own accord – are soccer balls. He bought them each a little plush ball embroidered with “My First Soccer Ball” before they were born (no layette would be complete without it!); and he recently bought them a tiny regulation soccer ball that accompanies us on every park adventure.
I think it’s important – and only natural – to expose the girls to our passions, to let them see how much joy those passions bring us.
So I like to think about these toys as more than just noise-makers. The piano has a full octave, with each note labeled and color-coded. Although they’re too young for this now, there are also several song cards that will allow the girls to pick out a familiar tune by matching the notes to the letter and color.
The tambourine doesn’t have any batteries (that would just be over the top, ya know?), but I hope it will help reinforce counting and song rhythms.
To date, the girls have banged a lot of keys and, among other things, used the tambourine as a “stage” for their Little People animals. But there’s still plenty of time to make it to Carnegie Hall, right?
7 comments:
I think its great. I've got a set of musical instruments for my girls for christmas too. Yeah, it will be loud, but they love music, especially the type they make. I'm sure your little ones will come up with a hundred different uses for the tambourine from a hat to who knows what else. Enjoy the noise and the laughs. :)
Mandy, our boys LOVE electronic noise making toys-especially ones that light up.
I don't mind them to much unless they start going off in my diaper bag! LOL!
Musical instruments for kids are great. My hubby is big time into music;piano,drums, guitar so I know that the boys will be exposed to his passions soon!
You crack me up! Always looking at the bright side of everything though. :)
You have succumbed... I hope the 'noise' ahem, I mean music doesn't drive you mad!
LOL.... get used to the noise.... it doesn't get any better at 4 years old.... UHG.... As I mentioned in my email GREAT job on all the verbiage you put into your posts. Your girls will love reading it all when they are older.
We picked up a set of three musical instruments at Costco the other day. A & M are now perfecting their skills on the drum, piano, and xylophone. Noisy toys don't really bother me much...except the ones that go off when I am picking up after the girls are in bed! As a former 'band nerd', I am excited for them to learn a little bit about musical instruments too.
As you know, T and I have also agreed not to try to push our guys into any of the activities that we enjoyed as children. But you're right, it is important and natural for us to share the things we enjoy with our kids. It would be completely weird to avoid certain things just so as not to seem that we're pushing them onto our children. I really want to sign the kids up for a music class for the winter months. It's soooo expensive, and ridiculously expensive for two. But I'm hoping to get relatives to chip in as a Christmas gift to offset the cost a bit. We'll see. I think Buba will really love it.
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