"Sometimes the littlest thing take up the most room in your heart”—Winnie the Pooh
Cecile and I were presented with a VIP opportunity to babysit our granddaughter Lyla who is 7 weeks old today, and her older brother Decker—the family dog—her protector and chief.
It didn’t pay much:-) but the experience was rich beyond words. Our daughter Michelle and son-in-law Kyle asked if we could babysit so they could attend a wedding ceremony of their dear friends. While we have been to San Mateo to visit Lyla multiple times, this was the first time we had the pleasure of having her visit at our own home. Several friends dropped by to see her as well as Lyla's uncle Jason.
Over time, we have observed our friends and some family members relationships with their grandchildren. While the common thread is love, the quality of the connection depends in great measure on the amount of time they get to spend together. Many grandparents aren’t able to do this since their kids live out of the area. I never knew my grandfather on my father’s side and I only saw my grandfather on my late mother’s side when I visited family in Sicily. On the other hand, Cecile was blessed with having lived in the same building as her grandparents and, great-grandparents in Chicago. We trust this special bonding time with Lyla will play a supporting role in her upbringing.
It is an amazing experience to have Lyla hold us in her gentle gaze, connecting with us in a loving field of awareness. We felt fully immersed in the present, conscious of a life force streaming through our bodies.
However, I have to admit the greatest fear many grandparents have—especially new grandpas—is the inability to comfort their grandchild when they cry, sometimes hysterically.
I was all thumbs the first time when Lyla cried and now that we had her all to ourselves I wasn't sure if I would fall short. Even Cecile who has always been a solid, loving supportive mother and is a natural at comforting Lyla, was challenged at times in-between feedings when we couldn’t comfort her. Two things helped. First, Cecile introduced her to a soft five star Einstein toy that emitted a colorful glow and played Mozart and other classical tunes. Lyla was mesmerized by something new and wonderful. This worked and we highly recommend it as a whimsical aid. But, there were times when it didn't. So we took turns walking and rocking her, and humming and singing with limited results.
Intuitively, I found myself chanting a loud, long and steady Ommmmmm, a sacred yoga chant that many of our teachers often begin and end a yoga class with. To my amazement, it worked like a charm. Within seconds Lyla ceased crying. I called Cecile into the room to tell her what happened. I retested it over and over again and each time Lyla stopped crying. Then Cecile followed my lead and it had a similar effect.
Each time the sound of OM placed Lyla in a calm, blissful state and often times made her fall asleep. OM represents the sound of the universe. It appears at the beginning and the end of most Sanskrit prayers. It is a mystic syllable, considered the most sacred mantra in Indian and Buddhist cultures.
OM is a versatile tool that people of all faiths can utilize to bring focus and awareness in life. You don’t have to do yoga to benefit from making the sound of OM. Practice it in the privacy of your home, perhaps while taking a shower. For those new parents and grandparents out there, to make the sound of OM correctly, remember the sound vibration is pronounced “ohm” as in the word home where the h is silent.
If you have any doubt of OM’s validity to calm a screaming baby please check out San Diego motivational speaker Daniel Eisenman who was broadcasting live to his Facebook followers when his daughter Divina began crying in the backdrop. He responded by making a long and steady “OM" sound, and within seconds she relaxed enough to fall asleep. It was reported in the Dailymail.com last year and received over 25 million views. When I saw how chanting a simple deep throated OMMMMM worked, I decided to do a Google search to see if anyone else had this experience and came across Eisenman’s recording.
Give it a try! You’ll be happy you did, and you might be surprised how relaxing it is to do—for yourself as well as your crying baby and/or your crying grandchild.
Peace!
*The OM story was first reported by Valerie Siebert for Dailymail.com
Published April 27, 2017
Photo: Kyle, Michelle & Kyle's brother Chip attending a friend's waiting
