I totally understand the Wiggles now.

Before Addie was born and I spent significantly less time with infants, I had a hard time understanding how musical groups catering to children really functioned. I mean, how can you sing their songs without going insane? I'm not one who looks down upon artists like the Wiggles or Raffi--I don't think that they're freaks or sell-outs or anything like that. Obviously they make a great living, and they have to have some musical talent to do what they do; but, like I said above, it's the precariously traveling along the razor's edge of madness that I didn't get. Seriously, how many times can you sing "Get ready to wiggle" or "Go Captain Feathersword, Ahoy!" before you completely lose it.

But tonight, everything changed, and I had a moment of complete clarity akin to the clouds parting and the single beam of sunlight illuminating my sky-turned face. I caught myself, while feeding Addie (Anna's at a class tonight), singing a song that, as far as I can remember, was entirely about the mixture of foodstuffs that made up Addie's dinner. It's not that weird that I sang a song that consisted of the lyrics "You got your chicken and your fruit, and it's good enough for me!" to the tune of "You put the lime in the coconut"--the weird part is that I sang it for the better part of five minutes before I realized it.

As soon as I knew that I had been singing an impromptu song about baby food, I stopped and audibly laughed at myself. But here's the kicker--as soon as I stopped singing, Addie got upset. What I didn't notice is that my singing had transfixed her into eating like a champ. Then it hit me--silly songs are the pied piper ballads that cause babies to immediatley calm down and listen focusedly. So, obviously, I started singing again, and Addie ceased her fusiness and finished eating.

So there you have it--Raffi, the Wiggles, and others of their ilk aren't annoying--they're geniuses that have songs that you might as well call "Baby, be quiet as I make funny noises for your parents benefit." And it works. Stand in awe.