Before having Grace there were certain things Seth and I swore we wouldn’t do when we became parents. We promised we wouldn’t be the couple that never gets a babysitter, we wouldn’t let our kids sleep in our bed on a regular basis, and we absolutely would not listen to “little kid” music in the car. I love my little girl with my whole heart, but I draw the line at listening to the “Wiggles” on my way to the grocery store. I know I’ll have to put up with listening to her kiddie music sometimes, but we all have our limits.
Maybe I am so particular about where I draw the line with music because it has always been a focal point in my life. I listen to music while I do the dishes, work on editing photos, and straighten my hair. The car is no exception to my melodious lifestyle. I’m a lover of almost all styles of music. I hate to admit that I even have a soft spot for the songs with ridiculously inappropriate lyrics and awesome beats. When one of those songs would come on when I was in the car with Seth, I would have fun freaking him out by showing him I had memorized the rapping. He would always laugh and go, “Babe. How do you know this stuff??” I would take a break between verses and say, “I know, I really shouldn’t know this.”
Since having Gracie I’ve started to filter my music selection. I know she is too young to understand what any of the words mean, but does she really need to be exposed to hearing about how Shorty with the Apple Bottom jeans got “low”? Probably not. Plus, she will eventually be able to understand the lyrics, so this change would have to come someday. I figured I might as well grow up and get it over with. I probably don't need to be hearing about how Shorty gets low either.
I love listening to Christian music around her because I want her to grow up hearing the name of Jesus. As far as Christian music goes though, there’s some really good stuff out there but there’s also some that I literally can’t stand to listen to. However, my tolerance has slightly grown since having Gracie, maybe having a kid softens you a little. A song came on the other day that I normally would have switched off because it’s just a little too “sweet” for me. But as I started paying attention to the lyrics my heart started to swell with a memory from my own life. Now that I get to add “mom” to my resume and I am married to a “dad” there are so many more things in life that I can connect to. The lyrics tell a story about a dad who dances with his daughter throughout her life. First, they dance together while she is a little girl pretending to be Cinderella. Then as she gets older they dance together before she goes to prom, and then finally they dance at her wedding. The part that pulled at my heartstrings was where the singer says,
“So I’ll dance with Cinderella while she is here in my arms. 'Cause I know something the prince never knew. I’ll dance with Cinderella, I don't want to miss even one song. 'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight and she'll be gone.”
I got so emotional because I remembered a moment a few weeks ago where Seth grabbed Gracie and said, “Come here Sweety, we’re going to dance cheek to cheek.” And he danced around the living room with her in his arms. I now have a daughter and she has a dad who dances with her. That song is literally my life. It’s so exciting to be at the beginning of the song, and know that we have many years of dancing with her.
It was so sweet I had to grab our video camera and record a few seconds of it. We’ve had so many people tell us how fast kids grow up so we have tried really hard to be intentional about seizing magic moments with her. I wrote in a previous post about making sure I don’t let myself get distracted with all my tasks and take those moments to just lay with her on the couch. Thankfully I got to capture this magic moment between my daughter and her daddy. I always smile when I watch it, maybe it will bring a smile to your face too.
Blessings,
Shantastic :)
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