Object of His Affection

Sammy has always been a musical kid. I attribute that to his extensive Beatles immersion prior to his birth. Whatever speech issues he may have, his love of music was evident from the get go. His first love was Laurie Berkner, and she’ll always have a special place in his heart. But today, his true admiration is solely for Mister David.

When Sammy started his first preschool class, the teachers sent home a daily log, noting what he had for a snack, what story they read, what songs they sang. Every other week, there would be a footnote about a Mister David coming that day. It wasn’t long before I started hearing that name directly from Sammy, so I did a little investigating. It seems Mister David was a god among the shorty set, whose musical and puppetry had kids following him like a modern day Pied Piper. Sammy’s teacher reported his complete rapture whenever Mister David visited, so I picked up a copy of the man’s CD at the front desk. It’s been in heavy rotation ever since. Dare I say, Sammy asks for Mister David every single time when get in my car, Hub’s car, Grandpa’s car – I think he probably asked the bus driver to spin the disc a few times.

Parents, raise your hand if kiddie music makes you want to drive straight off a cliff. This won’t (OK, maybe after the fifth time in a row, but that’s only from over familiarity at the moment). Mister David is a clever musician, weaving any manner of recognizable genres into rugrat friendly tunes, everything from Hawaiian to calypso to straight up rock and roll. I give that disc a big thumbs up (oops, mixing reviews, I slap myself on the wrist).

Toward the end of the year, I knew I had to check out a performance for myself. So I snuck into the back of the room (just so Sammy wouldn’t see me and could have his full enjoyment) and watched. Let me just say, the man is a genius for taking such a simple idea and running with it. He mixes his own recordings with other fun songs (I heard the Beatles, Queen, James Brown – nice tip to the parents) into a neat little set, all the while incorporating puppets, books, instruments, balloons – whatever visual aids will engage and delight the kids. I’m sure I’m not the only parent who immediately thought, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Sammy doesn’t get a biweekly Mister David fix since school let out, so when the opportunity arises, I make sure Sammy gets to see his idol. Today was one of those days. I think Sammy would give it a big thumbs up as well. Thanks, Mister David.