Twinkle, twinkle little star!

How I wonder what you are?
Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are?

Donde esta la luna? (Where is the moon?)
Comiendo aceituna. No me quieres da. (Eating olives. You don’t want to give.)
Me pongo a llorar. Bien pajarito me hace callar. Shhhh…. (I make myself cry. Good little bird makes me quiet.)

These two songs are becoming an important part of my life at Ninos. I as well as other volunteers and tias sing these two songs frequently to the kids at Pedacito. It is absolutely amazing the effects of these two songs on the children. One by one, each child starts to calm down. There is less shouting and sometimes, less crying. Well, it depends on the child. Slowly, the children begin to sing along and mimic the gestures for each song. Then we sing the songs again because the children are becoming less focused on what is going to happen next and would rather continue singing. The meal is brought out and children are ready to eat.

I reflect on these two songs because it magically transports me back to my childhood. I remember my mom singing James Taylor or Simon and Garfunkel. She preferred these songs over the traditional children songs. Her singing had the exact same effect over me like the children at Pedacito. I forgot what I was crying or yelling about. Instead, I was focused on singing with her. The time seemed to pass by and like magic, I had put my shoes on or was coloring with her. She had successfully distracted me and placed me in a more relaxed and loving environment. We do the exact same thing with our children at Pedacito. We create a loving and nurturing environment just like a mom does.