I grew up singing a Dutch prayer before dinner. I have no idea how to spell it, but it's phonetically: "Hadda zagen, day-zuh, spay-zuh, Amen. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, amen."
Since moving back to Michigan & eating more meals with my parents, we've been singing it semi-regularly, and Simon has fallen in love with this song. If we forget to pray (or just deliberately don't do the song as part of the prayer) he reminds us that we have to do it. He knows that we hold hands in a circle, swing our hands a little, and after the final "amen" we let go & say "hey!" He likes to try to grip our hands so tightly that we can't let go of his at the end - then I think he "wins" the prayer game.
Today Simon & Anson were on the floor together - I think I was changing Simon's diaper, and Anson was fussy, so I asked Simon to talk to Anson while I changed him. Anson reached over & grabbed a fistful of Simon's hair - but Simon didn't like that, of course. I pried Anson's hand open, and Simon gave him his hand instead. "Anson can hold my fingers" he told me.
Moments later, I heard Simon quietly singing "Hadda zagen" - he did the whole thing, holding Anson's hands & swinging them a little big. Such a sweet big brother.
I think the translation is something like "God, bless our day." That's a good little prayer for some wee brothers to share.
Since moving back to Michigan & eating more meals with my parents, we've been singing it semi-regularly, and Simon has fallen in love with this song. If we forget to pray (or just deliberately don't do the song as part of the prayer) he reminds us that we have to do it. He knows that we hold hands in a circle, swing our hands a little, and after the final "amen" we let go & say "hey!" He likes to try to grip our hands so tightly that we can't let go of his at the end - then I think he "wins" the prayer game.
Today Simon & Anson were on the floor together - I think I was changing Simon's diaper, and Anson was fussy, so I asked Simon to talk to Anson while I changed him. Anson reached over & grabbed a fistful of Simon's hair - but Simon didn't like that, of course. I pried Anson's hand open, and Simon gave him his hand instead. "Anson can hold my fingers" he told me.
Moments later, I heard Simon quietly singing "Hadda zagen" - he did the whole thing, holding Anson's hands & swinging them a little big. Such a sweet big brother.
I think the translation is something like "God, bless our day." That's a good little prayer for some wee brothers to share.
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