Father's Day Singing Time

Yesterday, for Singing Time, we were practicing Father's Day songs. I had Derek come in wearing an old tie that he was going to throw away. I had him come up to the front and told him I liked his tie. I made a big deal about it, saying how well it matched his suit and told the kids that his Mom had given it to him (which was true). Then I told the kids that I thought his tie needed to be trimmed. Each time they sang the songs, they would get to cut off a piece of his tie, and the louder they sang, the more they got to cut off. You should have seen their faces. Some of them were horrified, others were excited, (Quincy was the first one to volunteer) and some weren't sure if I was kidding or not.

I have never heard them sing so loud! It was a hit! Each child got to keep a piece of the tie. Then Derek wore the tie to sacrament meeting. I also had one of the kids' grandpa come in and do the same thing. Afterwards, I told them that they were really old ties that were going to be thrown away anyway, and that they shouldn't cut ties up. I could just see the kids going into their Dad's closets and shredding a bunch of expensive ties!

The only thing I felt bad about was Alyce. I noticed that she was not participating, which surprised me. When I called on her to cut off a piece, she wouldn't do it, and she kept her head down most of the time. Afterwards, I asked her if that activity made her feel bad and she said yes. I asked her if it was because she felt bad for Dad having his tie cut up, and she said yes and almost started crying! Little tenderhearted Alyce! I explained that it was a tie that Dad was going to throw away anyway and that he was never going to wear it again, and that I had told him to wear an old tie that day so he knew about it. She was fine after that, but I still felt really bad.