I raised two children. When my son was two, he showed a particular fondness for the old "Chung-King" commercial which went something like "...try Chung-King for your beautiful body, try Chung-King for your beautiful life..." he would stop whatever he was engaged in to stand in front of the television and shake his diapered butt to that catchy tune. I am not sure what purpose moving to the groove has in evolutionary terms, but I do know that dancing is plain old fun. Just ask any baby or toddler.

These "studies" blow my mind. Our heart beat is a rhythm, breathing has a rhythm, etc, etc. Why wouldn't babies (and humans of all ages) be predisposed to hearing a beat? The first sounds we ever hear are our mothers heartbeats, so of course rhythm would be soothing.

Who pays to research this stuff?

So babies like music? Well DUUUUUUUUUHHHHHH!!!!!! As a mother of two beboppin' babies I could have told you that and saved the money that was spent to fund such a idiotic study. We have more important studies to fund, like medical research that is desperately needed.

The scientific facts on how babies respond to rhythm correlate to (if not outright prove) Biblical assertions on the physical, mental, and spiritual makeup of a human being. In Psalms 8:2 (NIV) it says, "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger." The word "praise" in the Bible is many times referring to music. This verse attributes spiritual power to an infant's desire to move to a beat--power that we can all attest will make the spirits of fear and dread and depression flee from our presence. In this scientific study, smiles were recorded as the babies danced in step to the beat. The Bible says, "in thy presence is fulness of joy." (Psalm 16:11 KJV) From a Biblical standpoint the child's smile would be attributed to his perception of God's very presence, for Psalm 22:3 declares that God inhabits the praises of his people. This habitation, this close, musical relationship between God and man, is further attested by the letter to the Ephesians (chapter 1, verses 5 and 6, NIV version), which says that God has, "predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves."

As children grow older, many certainly learn inhibitions to music and expressions of joy--but how smart we are as parents when we seek to exalt that joyous Spirit of theirs in our homes. Music should be a constant part of our daily life, and caring for the lyrics of that music will pay off with an exemplary child that will grow in grace and stature toward God and man. "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6 NIV)

Years ago, I discovered impromptu free form worship dancing. It is done to up-tempo contemporary Christian music, ideally before a great worship church engaged in magnificent worship. It is the highest form of religious experience possible to a human being. I could not dance before I started doing this and still can't do choreographed movements. However, there is likely to be no one better than I am at this particular type of beautiful dance.

This life changing experience prompted me to think deeply about the nature and value of dancing. I believe it is intrinsic to our being human beings made in the image and likeness of God that we love to move rhythmically to a musical beat, and particularly to a syncopated beat. As a Christian theologian, I am thoroughly convinced that God loves "happy" music even more than do we, and He would be by far the world's greatest dancer if He had a body with which to dance. Jesus must have been a fantastic dancer at the high holy days when the Jews danced as part of their worship--as they still do today. Not only do we love worship dancing, but it is extremely good for us, even highly therapeutic at a profound level of our being. My special type of dancing brought me out of deep grief and depression over the passing of my beloved mother. It probably even saved my life.

It is an immense tragedy that worship dancing is forbidden in nearly all churches today. Those that allow it only do so in a remote corner of the auditorium where it won't be noticed, and, therefore, it looses its ability to inspire and bless others. What these preaching spiritual troglodytes fail to understand is that great worship is philosophically prior to preaching and teaching. This means that it is vastly more important than are they. Without real worship, preaching falls on deaf ears and has little to no transformational capability. Listening to Jesus preach was a wonderful form of worship simultaneously combined with teaching. That is why he was so extremely effective.

Let's boogie!!!

I have fond memories of my cousin as a baby too young to walk with his hands against the dishwasher or the washing machine going to town bopping to the "beat" of the wash cycle. He was precious.

AWWWW Deena That sounds sooo cute ! I bet that was a sweet sight to watch.

I can remember 26 years ago when i was carrying my first child, I would listen to MJ music and i would be singing along (music not to loud) and i could feel my baby move around like he was enjoying the music. Then when the music would stop he would stop moving and i guess go to sleep. LOL!! Either he liked the music or did not like my singing LOLOL!! Dont know which one.

But, I think babies like music before they are born. As long as it is not to loud, it is good for them to listen to music in the womb. He loved and dance to music holding on to something before he could even walk. I miss those days. He is 26 years old and still dance like he is a year old lol!! Everyone please enjoy your babies they grow up way to fast.