3 Key Takeaways: Renee Stahl

Three lessons I learned from my chat with the children's music maker.

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I don’t have many memories of my son’s first few months of life. I mean, I have photos and videos to prove that yes, I was there and yes, he was adorable. But if I try to think of specific moments when I was present with him, little comes to mind. I was so exhausted and overwhelmed and unsure of what I was doing that most of the mundane moments are no longer in my brain. Except for one.

My son was upset about something. I couldn’t figure out what he wanted. Nothing I did placated him. There were tears (his and mine).

I remember going into his nursery and putting on some music. I sat in the recliner in his room, with him snuggled on my lap, and hit play on It’s a Big World by Renee & Jeremy.

As soon as the first song, “Miracle,” began, I could feel my son relax. There was something about the melding of Renee Stahl & Jeremy Toback’s voices that was so soothing and tranquil. I vividly remember my son and I snuggling in the chair, gently rocking back and forth, just listening. We stayed that way for the entire album. He didn’t cry. He didn’t fall asleep. He just listened.