Mom sings to baby: Emotional baby reminds parents to savor little moments

A mom sings to her baby on video and goes viral. Her emotional baby tears up and smiles, tears up and smiles – showing the power of music and those little moments that become big memories. 

A viral video of an emotional baby, moved to tears by her mother's serenade, reminds us that there’s so much more to babies than blowout diapers and drooly teething.

This video, reported the Canadian news outlet TVA, pictures 10-month-old Mary Lynne Leroux being sung Rod Stewart’s classic ballad, “My Heart Can’t Tell You No,” by her mom, Amanda, in Val Gagne, Canada. It highlights the innocence and emotional depth of babies in a beautiful way.

Among the diaper changes, schedule balancing, and stress, many parents forget the sweet, simple beauty of little moments like this. But it’s so important to take a step back. Breathe. Pay attention. These moments do pass – for sure – but if you can savor them, they'll become nuggets in your mental memory album. Among all the necessary tasks, the most essential one is making time to connect with your  baby. It may not feel urgent, so it can easily get lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Music can be so moving for adults – why wouldn't a baby also make his or her own deep associations with music, and react accordingly? I feel the confidence-inspiring quality of India.Arie’s “Video," the tragic, wistful tone of Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel,” and the strut-your-stuff happy feel of Smash Mouth’s “Walking on the Sun.” Similarly, I see my six-month-old respond to the music that is a staple at our house. Music connects us as a family and promotes deep bonding. My daughter can’t get enough of it. Whenever my husband or I put some music on, she smiles really big, kicking her fat little legs. She belly laughs when my husband, who is Mexican, twirls her around the kitchen to salsa music as I make dinner. She immediately stops crying and sits peacefully when I sing hymns to her during our daily drive to daycare. When her grandma starts singing her lullabies on Skype, she stops whatever she’s doing and bolts toward the iPad.

Take a few moments to connect with your family today – you might even be able to sing a few bars of Raffi’s “Baby Beluga” as you load the dishwasher or fold some towels. Maybe it’ll make doing an otherwise forgettable task into a magical moment. You won't regret it.