Mothers Singing to Infants as a Pathway to Creative Expression

Abstract

When considering singing as an everyday creative activity in which people engage, investigations of children singing are more easily found than those of adults singing. Mothers commonly sing to their infants as part of caregiving, for the most part in the intimacy of their homes, perhaps making their creativity less visible to scientific lenses. Examining mothers’ experiences of singing, our research pointed to it as - among other things - a pathway to creative expression. In the present article we examine our findings, and that of dissertations and articles that mention creativity in mothers’ singing, describing some of its aspects. Mothers do not, necessarily, consider themselves as creative singers, but they invent lyrics, create melodies, add new verses to songs, according to their particular child, adapt songs to each situation, making use of their life experience, expressing their thoughts, feelings and perceptions, living in the present moment, instilling meaning to their relationship in a fun-filled interaction. Reflections in terms of mothers’ psychological health are discussed. We propose that these creative expressions contribute to mothers’ health during the complex and transforming experience of motherhood, bringing satisfaction, relief and fulfilment, contributing to their personal growth, as they actualize themselves as persons.