Just Use Your Funny Voice

Reflections from a New-ish Father

My wife tells me that I’m constantly singing. Regrettably, she’s correct. While I certainly don’t see myself as a good singer, I do sing a lot around the house. Actually, I sing most anywhere—at home, in the car, in the shower, and around the church. In short, I sing wherever I go.

How seriously I sing is an entirely different matter. Sometimes I’ll sing a lyric (often altering it) to make my wife laugh. Sometimes I’ll sing a lyric incorrectly simply because I don’t know any better. I’ve always had trouble identifying words from songs on the radio, which leads to some very bad misinterpretations on my part. My wife is quick to point this out, and so she should. No need to keep messing up a good song for another thirty years.

Having a son has created an interesting dynamic in my singing. I have a nearly irrepressible urge to make little Amos smile and laugh. He seems predisposed to do so anyway, but it’s the most endearing thing imaginable. This leads to a lot of efforts on our part as p…