Monday, December 21, 2009

Question of the Day: Why do babies make us do the most absurd things?


After days of being surrounded by my beautiful nieces and nephews, I started to wonder at what they had put me and my family through, specifically, the sound effects that we made that more or less belonged to a zoo, the jumping, crawling, hopping, balancing and other physical acts that were performed for the sole purpose of receiving a single smile or laugh of approval.

Of course it was worth it, because their pleased response made us laugh even more, as if we accomplished the impossible, as if this baby is the best of the worst critics of comedy and comedic acts done by relatives and a few courageous family friends who don't think twice about shrieking like a tortured squirrel to see the little tot wiggle and giggle in return.

Whatever this is, this primal instinct to delight a baby by such sounds and gestures, it crosses cultures, countries and time. Whenever their with their babies, mature and sane adults exert abnormal vocal and physical energy and/or movement just to make the kid laugh. And no matter how deep a man's voice is, he always manages to take it to a higher and softer pitch.

That's another question: Why do we always have a higher pitch when we're entertaining babies? Our voice is always softer and tad bit shrill. That's the case here when we do the Kuwaiti peek-a-boo (well that's what I'll call it here), "Tiyaaaa!" or other playful sayings.


MP3's...(zSHARE) Lounge/House
Washed Out - Feel It All Around such a beautiful song...
Theo Parrish - Summertime is Here
Moodymann - Don't You Want My Love
Andres - Sing About It (Ft. Tracy Vox & KDJ)
Andras Fox - Gettin' Into You




at 8:30 AM

6 Comments

  1. Blogger MBH posted at 1:13 PM  
    Well you can't expect a baby to laugh at stand up comedy shows! You have to stoop down to their level and become, more or less, a circus monkey.

    As for the desire to cheer them up, it beats the hell out of having to shut them up from crying :p
  2. Anonymous Anonymous posted at 11:40 AM  
    Before I even begin to compose a comment my dearest Erzulie, I must express my admiration for your composition and writing skills in this little entry. Not to mention your adroit use of alliteration and imagery to transport me to that warm and fuzzy, goo-goo eyed place that only babies and small children can illicit from me every time...

    It was only early this morning that I was grumbling to myself about how much I need more babies in my life to conduct baby talk conversations with. My pressing need to vent my urge to baby talk babies on a daily basis is on the verge of becoming a consuming force. Sadly, my best friends 2-year old (who I was once able to baby talk to my hearts content) now gives me supercilious and imperious looks when I even make an attempt to do this with her (sharp little thing that she is, with her precocious composed and coherent expressive sentences which will one day give me a run for my money I just know it...).

    I have no rational or sane explanation for you. All I can tell you is how much at this moment in time, all I want is to break out into a big sloppy goofball grin and emit a loud and annoyingly high pitched "mamaatii! Ya 7iloo il-bnayaat/il-i9bayan" and "boocha boocha!" accompanied by a big smacking kiss on some poor little unknowing and wide-eyed baby/toddlers sweet and tender little cheeks or teeny little hands... *SIGH*
  3. Blogger Erzulie posted at 10:10 AM  
    MBH: Agreed. I'd opt for circus monkey instead of an hour of crying anytime :)

    Ms. Baker: That was beautifully written Ms. Baker :) I laughed at "boocha boocha!" Is that "bosa" now? And thank god you didn't say anything about cheek pinching! Why is that so common here? I mean "tadlee3" can be slightly violent here, I really don't know why. We always bounce the kids on our laps, sometimes bite them playfully, it truly is very animalistic when you think about it...yet sweet :)
  4. Anonymous Q80thug posted at 1:33 PM  
    it is interesting the way we change our tone, pitch and gestures when we talk to 'teh babies'

    my brother's daughter is a year and a half old. you have no idea how smart she is! after playing and chasing our cat around the house(the cat is not allowed in the living room i took him out and closed the door.), i told her to 'run to your grandmother and tell her what did you see/do' she paused for 3 seconds to assemble the command and she went to my mom and said:

    mom: what happened ?
    baby: Ah! (that's what she calls kitties)
    mom: shfeeh Ah?
    baby: bab (door)
    baby: abi (want)

    if you think about , babies and children are as smart and comprehensive as we are, it just cant communicate well.
  5. Anonymous Anonymous posted at 5:21 AM  
    Tis Fee!
    If your a baby my lil Erzulie and i had the honor to carry you. i'd probably say something like this:

    "waaaaaaaay! shino hatheee?! shino hathee!?intay mino!? intay shino?!yakhteeeeeee!... mashallaaah...aywaaa..yallaa...
    yalla...aywaa..."
    *giggles*"

    *kisses*

    No joke..

    pathetic right?

    i think so :P
  6. Blogger Erzulie posted at 3:40 AM  
    q80thug: i can relate with the 1.5 kid who outsmarts her surprised audience!

    fee: i don't think so! i was heck of a cute baby :P~~~

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