Parenthood

Parenthood

“Well, doggies!”

Jed Clampett, from The Beverly Hillbillies

When our son, John, turned twenty-two, we were driving to church with him and our girls, reminiscing about the day he was born. John is our firstborn, and we have twin girls, too.

As I thought back on that day and our expectancy of it, I remembered I used to sing to my wife’s baby bump nearly every night. I wanted John to get used to the sound of my voice, and it was such a joyful way for me to connect with him before he was born.

For some reason, lost in the mists of time, I would sing The Beverly Hillbillies theme song, “The Ballad of Jed Clampett.” Perhaps I chose it because the song is a story, or because the Clampetts arrived in Beverly Hills in an old car, and I am an old-car guy. The song is funny, and it fits the range of my voice. Years before, Liz and I even went to a Halloween party, dressed as Uncle Jed and Elly May.

But, back to the night John was born. After the nurses placed him in the bassinet, they let me in to be with him. What an amazing experience it is, as many of you know, to stand there with your firstborn, and each one after.

John was crying, and I tried to comfort him as best I could, but he kept on, as a newborn will do. So, out of the blue, I started singing “The Ballad,” and he stopped! When I stopped singing, he started crying. So, I sang it again, and he stopped again.

Since he heard the song and my voice before, I can only think that it soothed him, and he fell asleep. So, if you feel like crying after reading this, just give me a call, and I will sing it to you, too.

It worked for us, and this remains a wonderful memory of my first moments with my boy, my turning the corner into parenthood.