We are never, ever doing a "Fun With Music" weekly theme ever again.
I'm not sure I will still retain my sanity by the time the week is out. This is because Connor has decided that the super-fancy keyboard, which came in the Theme Box of The Week, is his favorite toy ever in the history of the universe. Basically he has decided that he loves it more than any other toy in the world, and my increasingly frantic attempts to replace it with something else that is less annoying have met with complete and utter failure.
I mean, it's really cute, for the first twenty minutes or so. Cute in a loud and extremely violent fashion, anyway. The first thing he does is turn one of the percussion buttons on; you know, the kind that is labeled "salsa" or "funk" and that is supposed to provide a background beat for the music you play. Then he starts smashing the keys with his hands and (if he wants more precision) his elbows. Finally he begins emitting ear-piercing shrieks of excitement at pitches that at the lower volumes make the glasses in our kitchen vibrate and at the higher volumes also vibrate my teeth. When it becomes too much work to smash the keys down, he picks two notes, usually in the highest register and right next to one another, and leans on them for about five minutes. Then after taking this refreshing break, he smashes his elbows down on random buttons near the percussion area until he gets a new rhythm to emerge. This inspires more incredibly enthusiastic musical carnage. Rinse and repeat. For hours.
Yes, I know that I am his parent, and about 8 times bigger than him and also equipped with functional opposable thumbs and limbs that all operate in the manner originally intended, so I could easily take it away from him and make him play with another toy. But he's so darn happy and excited about the thing, and I've been dealing with a lethargic, grumpy, attempting-to-die-on-me child for the past two weeks, so I don't really have the heart to do it. Yes, I also know that I'm probably spoiling him horribly-- not to mention running the risk of possibly shattering my eardrums, glassware, and tooth enamel-- but I'm just so thrilled that he's actually vocalizing and acting like his usual happy self again that I can't help but give in. So I'll suffer through his epic, multi-hour "concerts" with a grin on my face for the week, and then at the end of it I'll take the box back to the library and save checking it out only for very, very special occasions like when someone else is watching him and I am far, far away. Preferably in Bermuda. With chocolate.
Anyway, I'll try and get some video tomorrow, so you can see part of the adorable, nails-on-chalkboard performance!
~Jess
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3 years ago
8 comments:
My kids always loved the keyboard best too. We went through dozens of them before they grew up.
This story reminds me of my son, who now has every musical instrument ever made, including a ukulele and drum kit. Seriously. Of course, the keyboard and two guitars, both complete with extensive percussion button selection, are his favorites. Although the noise, I mean, beautiful music, has a keen ability to grate on our nerves, we usually get involved, garage band jam session style. I swore I would never have noisy toys in my house, but that was before we found out X was deaf. Now, we love it and even encourage it!
a friend of ours gave Josh an adult-type (read: no fun colors) that he found out a electronic store close out sale. Its has been Josh's preferred method of parental torture for months. we have a volume rule, but he is allowed to play with it whenever. maybe tape the volume button to a tolerable level and you'll survive the week! :)
Serenity NOW!
In this, Connor is so TYPICAL - all kids love the toys that grate on their parents nerves the most. My daughter had a battery powered train that tooted constantly. Thought I would tear my hair out before she outgrew it!
Taping The Volume Button + Deaf Kid = Completely Silent Keyboard For Kid. He's only able to hear it on the loudest settings. But it's a great idea for a non-Deaf kid!
And yes, we have way, WAY too many electronic, noise-making toys in our household. I wasn't going to have any of those in my house; just fun, creative, non-electronic toys. But guess which are the only toys Connor will play with?
Sigh.
Headphones, and a keyboard to keep!
Here's an idea, find earplugs. I use them regularly for things like weapon ranges and artillery fire, not to mention the odd C-130 ride.
They make them so well now that you can acquire a pair that will dampen the earsplitting noises and still let you hear Connor, Jeremy or even your guests. Heck Jeremy probably has several pairs stashed somewhere, and if he doesn't can probably get some cheap at the nearest QM.
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