Breaking Free

"Higher, higher! Push me higher, Mommy!"

Girl on a Swing, Winslow Homer , c.1879

Julia's upturned face and excited smile greeted the sky each time her tiny and powerful legs pumped forward on the swing. No need to explain the sense of freedom, the desire to swing for hours, for her mothers stood by her, remembering her own spring days on handmade wooden swings when she too felt she could swing high enough to caress the clouds.

Without a word, the mother slipped onto the swing next to her five year old and was soon swinging and pumping in rhythm. In silent agreement, they quietly, then raucously, chanted a song they loved from Disney's Mary Poppins musical:

          "Let's go fly a kite
           Up to the highest height!
           Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring
           Up through the atmosphere
           Up where the air is clear
           Oh, let's go fly a kite!"

Others in the park turned their way to see who delivered the concert and a few clapped and sang along. The joy was infectious as the refrain was repeated amid giggles and child-driven shrieking. The long winter bundled in sweaters and gloves and boots had thankfully given way to spring jackets and jeans and a sharing of the celebration of warmth and play.

The young mother slipped off the swing as her daughter slowed, jumping behind her to prolong the fun. Over and over they sang, driven by Julia's enthusiastic insistence to swing, " 'Gain! Again!" and the mother happily complied, reluctant to break the spell.

The winter's hibernation gave way to fresh air, traditions, and a durable mother-daughter bond building memories for a lifetime and beyond. The guaranteed trigger would always be their beloved music, true in so many of their enduring memories.