When Griffin was a baby and he would start to lose it, I would sing to him to try to calm him down. The song that seemed to work best was “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” I would start singing that song and he would stop his crying and start to smile. It worked nearly every time! I posited that since I was teaching kindergarten while he was in the womb, he had grown fond of the songs I played guitar to and sung to my students which naturally felt calming to him.

Unfortunately, now that Griffin is nearly four, the magic has worn off. However, it is now the magic song for Maggie! If she starts to lose it, we all break out the song and start clapping our hands, and next thing you know, she’s happy (fake it til you make it?)! I don’t know why it works for her, but it is the one thing that will stop her in her tracks. It has now become a participatory song for her, as well: