Samson: Behind the music

What do you need for a morning walk to get coffee with Samson?

A stroller, a sippy with milk, some wipes, a banana, and oh yes, a guitar.

People think I'm exaggerating when I say he takes it everywhere with him. These people have never been interrupted in the bathroom by Sam doing his toddler Pete Townshend routine.

And while technically, it doesn't go everywhere --- it hasn't made it into the tub yet --- this is not for lack of trying.

All that said, over the course of the past few months, something has changed.

Whereas before he carried the guitar around the house, occasionally strumming but mostly banging into things and menacing the cat, he is now starting to make music.

Not music in the stage-mother, Suzuki-method, prodigy sense (which is fine by me; I find those kids unsettling), but in the sense of just sitting and singing words that pop into his head.

Like the "thank you" song he was rocking out to this morning. Or the "I love you, Mr. Gary" song that followed. Mr. Gary, by the way, is his friend Oliver's dad.

There's also a Mr. Garry who cuts Samson's hair, but given his track record, I have a hard time believing the song was for him.