Purple Dinosaurs

My favorite Christmas present this past Christmas was the gathering of all my family, and especially my babies--baby bro, and baby nieces, aged 12 and 17. We danced, we sang, we ate and ate, and laughed like banshees. And Erica, my 17 year old baby who has Down Syndrome and a little autism, we sing. Barney songs.

Now I have the natural hatred any adult would have for Barney and his simplistic songs and amazingly annoying giggle. Baby Bop, the other little costumed character on the show is EXTREMELY annoying, with a nails-on-chalkboard screech, and who talks baby talk until you want to rip off his costume head and set it on fire. Or at least that's how I felt when Erica was 5 and a regular Barney watcher. Her sister, Halle, had just been born, underweight, and I was in Tomball Texas with the family helping look after Erica. Every morning we watched Barney, Gulla gulla Island, and The Big Comfy Couch. Gulla Gulla was a Nickelodean show about a family living on one of the Carolina Islands who sang African songs and practiced the Gulla traditions. There was also a pollywog named Benya Benya who had a really cool theme song. ("Benya Benya pollywog, he's my very favorite frog".) And the Big Comfy Couch was about a doll named Molly Dolly, her Anti Macasser and the mailman, Major Bedhead. There was also a cat named Snicklefritz--to this day I love to hear Erica say that word. Now that's some cool stuff and Erica and I sang and danced and did all the activities from these shows.

But of course Erica's favorite was Barney, insipid, and cloying and very very basic. And now every time we are together, we sing Barney songs. "I love you, you love me," with attendant hugging and kissing, "The Wheels on the Bus," "Clean up, Clean up, Everybody Everywhere," and "Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, please shine down on me." There's also one about different kinds of sandwich bread but neither of us can remember all of the words. Sure, we sing other things, too--her "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" is adorable and should be recorded for posterity and she and Halle and I still break up when we do the name game with my brother's name: "Banana fanna fo Farlton..." But those Barney songs are what binds Erica and I. Sometimes when we are first together she doesn't quite recognize me because I've changed 'do colors, or am wearing contacts, but once we start singing, she remembers. Every word, every step, every gesture. Warms my cynical cockles every time.

Now, Erica, like many teenagers is into boy bands and also sings in a gospel choir. She doesn't talk much but can sing anything.

I learned many things while I was with my family over the holidays. Halle taught us the "Soulja Boy" Dance from the video (see Youtube), Mom gave me a great ginger cookie recipe, and my brother and former sister-in-law always teach me a lot about laughter and grace whenever I am with them. And my girrrrlll Erica always, always teaches me about love and joy.

So in the new year, I wish you all singing babies, people in your life who you connect with in special ways, who let you know how precious you are. I hope I'm one of them for you.