One of my favorite things to do every morning is visit the two-year old classroom at the early childhood education center where I work. They greet me with big smiles and out-stretched arms. At the beginning of the year I realized quickly that to bond with these little ones I needed to find something to do with them each day that would be our “thing.” It would be our special time to do something that we all love to do together. A time that they would look forward to each day. That “thing” ended up being singing, but it didn't come easily at first.

The benefits of singing with preschoolers are undeniable, and the memories made through sharing childhood songs are sweet. But I had to come up with a creative solution to overcome some communication barriers in order to make this time truly memorable and impactful for these littles...

For over 25 years, I have presented to audiences at high schools and college fairs. Before I present, I ask a number of questions to better understand my audience. One question is to ask how many folks in attendance are parents of high school juniors or seniors. Invariably, the majority raise their hand and I jokingly (?) respond that for these parents, it is not a financial aid presentation night, but a financial aid “panic” night. While the audience is kind and offer a half-hearted smile or chuckle, for the majority of parents, this is a fact: families have not adequately planned and saved for college costs.

As parents we like watching our kids do activities. The preschool years are especially fun because our littles are just getting to the age to play a sport or take a class. They play soccer like a herd of cats and we love watching. T-ball is played and we watch them and then break out the snacks. If it’s a dance recital, we get there extra early to secure that right spot to observe our little darlings in action (not to mention we need to record it all to share on social media). We love to watch them, and that is the right thing to do. There comes a time, though, when we all realize that we are not just watching them…they are watching us, too.