What's Up With The Strange Church Phenomenon of Adults Singing Children's Songs to the Opposite Sex???
OK, so am I the only one that finds it mildly disturbing to see grown humans sing children's songs to the opposite sex? Help me understand this strange phenomenon, people!
Just a few weeks ago, on Mothers' Day, all the men got up and sang "Home Can Be a Heaven On Earth" to the women. Their voices actually sounded really nice, but the song - ugh. I'm not sure if even children should be singing that one.
And now my understanding is that all the women will be singing "I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home" and "A Child's Prayer" to the men on Fathers' Day. Double Ugh. "I'm so Glad..." has to be one of my top 5 least favorite church songs ever. Talk about gender stereotypes. I actually quite like the song "A Child's Prayer" but I like it for children. Why on earth have a bunch of grown women singing from the point of view of a child? What's the point?
Anyway, I'm parking my tail on the pew during this exhibition. Nothing on earth could persuade me to get up there and participate in this strange Harbor Hills ritual.
UPDATE: So I emailed the music person for our ward, and it turns out that while the women and kids will be up there together, only the children will be singing 'I'm so Glad.' (Thank goodness!) And then the women and kids will sing the child's prayer song.
Just a few weeks ago, on Mothers' Day, all the men got up and sang "Home Can Be a Heaven On Earth" to the women. Their voices actually sounded really nice, but the song - ugh. I'm not sure if even children should be singing that one.
And now my understanding is that all the women will be singing "I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home" and "A Child's Prayer" to the men on Fathers' Day. Double Ugh. "I'm so Glad..." has to be one of my top 5 least favorite church songs ever. Talk about gender stereotypes. I actually quite like the song "A Child's Prayer" but I like it for children. Why on earth have a bunch of grown women singing from the point of view of a child? What's the point?
Anyway, I'm parking my tail on the pew during this exhibition. Nothing on earth could persuade me to get up there and participate in this strange Harbor Hills ritual.
UPDATE: So I emailed the music person for our ward, and it turns out that while the women and kids will be up there together, only the children will be singing 'I'm so Glad.' (Thank goodness!) And then the women and kids will sing the child's prayer song.
posted by Caroline | 9:40 PM
5 Comments:
i don't think it's a church phenomenon. i don't think i've seen it happen anywhere else; not children's songs anyway (by the way, "home can be a heaven on earth" isn't a children's song. and i kind of like it). but "i'm so glad when daddy comes home"?!! i can just picture all those grown women singing to their spouses about climbing on their knees to hug and kiss them...
by the way, i support your boycott.
Really? HOme can be a Heaven isn't a kids' song? I assumed it was because when I was composing this post, I googled the song to make sure of this, and the only hit I got on it was from a primary program. I have to say I'm not very fond of that song. Seems saccharine to me.
And as my update noted, I'm relieved to tell you that the women will not be singing I'm So Glad. I guess the women will just be up there silent while the kids' do it before the child's prayer song.
'home can be a heaven on earth' is hymn number 298 and i don't think it's in the children's book at all. and you're right. it's definitely got it's saccharine qualities. but i still like it. probably because i believe the sentiment it celebrates, even if i wouldn't necessarily use that particular metaphor to describe it.
and i'm glad to hear that the women aren't singing 'i'm so glad...' (though i'm also a bit disappointed that the potential to crack inappropriate sexual jokes about it has disappeared).
i'd have boycotted with you. but FYI, "A Child's Prayer" is a two-part song, with a parent's and a child's part. the women will be singing the parent's part. so not quite so bad, eh?
Christi,
That actually makes it much, much better! I like the idea of women's voices answering the children.
But I still can't bring myself to go up there. I guess my objection is not so much the singing of children's songs to the opposite sex, but the singing of any song, by half the ward, to the other sex. There's something terribly cheesy about it to me, but I can see that others would consider it a nice gesture.
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