Whenever my husband bounces our grandsons on his knee, up/down; up/down; up/down amidst laughter, giggles and shouts of “More! More! More!” from my grandson, I feel such great joy!

I know that the ultimate climax for my grandson is the part where my husband holds his hands to support him, and my grandson throws his head backward, screaming “all fall down.”

Kids just love to “fall down!” What a scream for them. What a joy!

For example, the “Ring Around the Rosey” chant  continues to be popular. So what if the “ashes, ashes, we all fall down,” refers to the thousands of people who perished in the Bubonic Plague. And never mind that “ring around the rosey” refers to a rash that the ill people got from the disease. Still, this spooky themed song continues to amaze and enthrall most American kids. Most of them have no clue what they are singing about.

While having a playdate,  my four-year-old  grandson and his little cousin were singing “Ring Around a Rosey” over and over. After the first seven or eight times, I almost suggested that they switch songs, but then I realized that this could make a good  post for my blog, so I let them continue…. (isn’t it amazing what we will do to get material for writing?)

Of course, the “all fall down” part  got the most laughter and giggles. Over and over and over, they twirled themselves around and around,  their little bodies plopped down on the word “down,” followed by their rolling over with laughter.  Then up again for another round of the same song.

There is something about going up and down, and then up and down again and again – that is a lot of fun for kids, But I think the “down” part is most exciting for them. Witness a child build a tower and then plop it down. Hahahahaha. Laughter ensues. It’s only when the child gets older, that he or she may get upset if someone (or the child) topples the tower that he or she worked so hard to build.

When I was a child, our German grandfather, “Opa,”  held us on his knee (one at  a time!), and sang the following chant, to the approximate tune of Ring Around the Rosey:”

“Hopa, hopa reita, Venesh-felt – dan fleita,………..

All fall down.”

I have no clue what the words mean; I would have to ask my mother who is fast asleep now as I write this blog. (sorry Mommy).

Note the ellipsis or dots above. The exact German words in their place were drowned out by my laughter as my Opa bounced me on his knee higher and higher and higher. So when he continued with the German, I could only think about what was coming at the end, and I would say, “All fall down,” (in English, while he said it in German -lyrics that I have no memory of now), and plop down backwards…while he held my hands for support.

Roller coasters, drama, fun, laughter. These are all excitements of children. Not adults.

As adults, it is a wonderful thing for us to achieve steady growth, change, and improvement. However, when things get too good too fast, we know that there may be a fall coming ahead.  That’s okay. Part of the process; two steps forward – one step backward.

Then the question becomes: What did we learn from the fall?

How can we use that fall to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and move higher the next time?

Seeking insight after a fall,  will  prevent us from spinning  in circles as adults.

And while we are at it, we can check out some Nifty Nursery Rhymes (nurseryrhymes.org or see blogroll on home page) for a list of great nursery rhymes to sing and chant with grandkids (with or without the bouncing up and down!)