The connection between mothers and babies is a powerful one.
When we are born, we don’t have the ability to take care of ourselves. As a result, we have to rely on our parents to teach us how to navigate the world, how to walk, how to eat and how to communicate. In the early stages of life, we rely on our mothers maybe more than anyone else as our source of life.
Still, babies’ brains are much more active than we give them credit for.
According to online sources, babies have about 50 trillion synapses or connections in their brain—by the time they are one year old, that number goes up to 1000 trillion! Having so many connections may make babies able to absorb and process more information than an adult.
Enough, say, to understand the emotions in a song without speaking.
In one incredible clip, 10-month-old baby Mary Lynne Leroux gets ready to hear a song.
Baby Mary’s mother addresses her in the beginning of the video to let her know what’s happening. “Do you want mommy to sing a song, honey?” she asks. After Mary giggles, her mother begins.
Once her mom starts singing, little Mary’s eyes start welling with tears.
The song is “My Heart Can’t Tell You No” originally performed by Rod Stewart—and Mary seems to love it.
As the mother’s voice rises and falls, tension in the song builds—and Mary gets more and more emotional. By the end, she even takes a little gasp like she’s about to start sobbing! Finally, mom speaks up:
“Aw, you feel the pain in the song, honey?”
At this, baby Mary giggles a little bit and the spell is broken.
Despite the tears, Mary seems to enjoy the song—even if it’s sad.
Who can blame her? The mother’s voice is soulful and soothing, and we can all use a good cry sometimes! On a more serious note, this clip may be an instance of an amazing phenomenon called “emotional contagion.” As explained in an article on Psychology Today, the mother, Amanda, makes sure to explain to her child what’s going on—all without language.
By picking up on her mother’s tone and facial expressions, baby Mary is able to understand!
Needless to say, the clip has gone enormously viral.
More than a testament to the love between a mother and child, it’s also a fascinating look into how babies and little children communicate while they are still pre-verbal. It’s also an inspiring look at a caring and patient mom taking time to share her talent with her baby.
No matter how you watch, it’s sure to bring tears to your eyes too!
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