It’s a good thing we don’t have a clapper

Last night, my 9.5 month old daughter was sitting with me and she figured out that if she puts her hands together, they make an interesting noise, what we call clapping.  I asked my wife when she started doing this and she said just now.  Such a simple act brought a tear to our eyes as yet another milestone in her development came out.  I know we take these sorts of things for granted, but the coordination involved shows her motor skills are developing still further.  I truly enjoy these simple little steps in her life.

It also makes me proud as one of her primary teachers that all the things we and other teachers in her life do, work.  Things like the silly song I fondly remember my grandmother singing to my younger sister, and that both my mother and mother-in-law sing to her, the song, albeit rude and short goes like this:

“Clap hands, clap hands, till daddy comes home, daddy has money and mommy has none”.

After doing a little research on the rhyme, I found that it most likely has roots in a Sicilian rhyme, Manu Manuzzi, which makes even more sense as that was my grandmother’s heritage.  Later on in her life, I think I will use it as a means to teach her about women in history and feminism.

I guess Pat-a-cake is up next…

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