My Mom Life in Pop Song Lyrics
(Posted on Thursday, January 17, 2019)
Much like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, music is a wonderful form of art where lyrics can be interpreted in many ways. Lyrics or poetry can mean something entirely different to two people or even to the same person on different days.
Sometimes music makes me feel better. Sometimes it makes me feel understood.
On a rare occasion, I was driving alone in the car listening to the radio [instead of the typical nursery rhymes or Disney sound tracks]. On that day, I had a peaceful moment of clarity where I was able to focus on the music— instead of the usual screaming and complaining coming from the backseat. The songs I listened to, although not designed for parenting, seemed to fully apply to my life.
Although these songs are clearly not about “mom life” or parenting, some of the lyrics seemed so fitting in my life when I heard them. Some gave me clarity. Some made me feel understood. Some brightened my day.
It’s funny how easily songs can change my perspective or improve my mood. In fact, if I listen to the right song when I’m feeling down it will usually pull me out of a funk.
“In My Blood” – Shawn Mendes
“Help me, it’s like the walls are caving in
Sometimes I feel like giving up
But I just can’t
It isn’t in my blood
Laying on the bathroom floor, feeling nothing
I’m overwhelmed and insecure, give me something
I could take to ease my mind slowly
Just have a drink and you’ll feel better
Just take her home and you’ll feel better
Keep telling me that it gets better
Does it ever?”
Do you ever have those days as a parent when you feel like “the walls are caving in?” When you feel like giving up? I have moments like this— even days or weeks like this— when I find myself wondering, how will I keep up? How will I keep moving? Maybe the newborn has been up all night for a week. Maybe the toddler has thrown five too many tantrums. Maybe life in general… keeping up with work, being a parent, day-to-day responsibilities just feels like too much. But somehow, I find the strength. I keep moving. I take that next step, and somehow, I pull through. I don’t give up. Maybe it’s in my blood…
Or, there are the times we feel we have failed or made a mistake…
“Let You Down” – NF
“Feels like we’re on the edge right now
I wish that I could say I’m proud
I’m sorry that I let you down
Let you down
All these voices in my head get loud
I wish that I could shut them out
I’m sorry that I let you down
L-l-let you down”
…there are days when I feel like I have let my kids down. The “voices in my head” are loud and quick to tell me how I could be a better mom. But, all these voices are is that negative self-talk creeping in. The truth: we aren’t perfect. We are human. We are parents, and we are good parents. The fact that we even care proves this point.
“Meant to Be” – Bebe Rexha
“Baby, lay on back and relax, kick your pretty feet up on my dash
No need to go nowhere fast, let’s enjoy right here where we at
Who knows where this road is supposed to lead
We got nothing but time
As long as you’re right here next to me, everything’s gonna be alright
If it’s meant to be, it’ll be, it’ll be
Baby, just let it be”
There are also the times when I worry or become anxious. What don’t we worry about as moms? Is my child eating enough? When it comes to illness, will my child be okay? Will my child ever sleep through the night? When they are picked on or left out, will my child be okay? These lyrics are a great reminder during these moments. Sometimes, rather than focusing on the worry, we simply need to “let it be.” Typically, everything I worry over ends up being alright in the end, and I have caused myself unnecessary stress for no reason.
Then, we have the moments we try to take our kids out in public…
“Hold My Hand” – Hootie and the Blowfish
“I oh no, no, no, no, no
(Hold my hand)
Want you to hold my hand
(Hold my hand)”
Who has taken their toddler to the grocery store? I’ll ask mine to hold my hand, and when they don’t—because they usually won’t—I’m gonna love them “the best that I can…”
OR
“The Middle” – Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey
“Oh baby, why don’t you just meet me in the middle?
I’m losing my mind just a little
So why don’t you just meet me in the middle?
In the middle”
When it comes to toddlers, aren’t they usually “all or nothing?” I swear, it can make me feel like I am losing my mind sometimes. Can we seriously just meet in the middle here? Can we make a compromise?
And in the end, sometimes a compromise is just what we need to stay sane. “No, I will not read you five more books tonight, but I will read you two.” Or, “Here you can choose between these two options… these two outfits… these two spoons.”
Compromise and choices have gone far in saving my sanity.
“Dusk Till Dawn” – Zayn Malik
“But you’ll never be alone
I’ll be with you from dusk till dawn
I’ll be with you from dusk till dawn
Baby, I’m right here
I’ll hold you when things go wrong
I’ll be with you from dusk till dawn
I’ll be with you from dusk till dawn
Baby, I’m right here”
There will be late nights. I will never forget those nights when my children were babies and it was just us, rocking in the quiet. We will be there for them in times like this, and we will continue to be there for them as they grow. We will be there for them when “things go wrong.” We will hold them and kiss their tears.
“And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give
And you give
And you give yourself away”
In fact, we may give too much. How easy is it as parents to put our kids before ourselves, to put our children before our marriage or relationship, to put ourselves last? There are times we can give so much of ourselves as parents that it is hard to find anything left to give. This song reminds me to make sure I am also giving to myself so that I can stay strong and handle the moments when I feel like giving up. For me, finding me-time can help prevent these “moments.” Additionally, by leaving time for myself, I can more fully be there for my kids.
“Good Old Days” – Macklemore
“I wish somebody would have told me babe
That someday, these will be the good old days
All the love you won’t forget
And all these reckless nights you won’t regret
‘Cause someday soon, your whole life’s gonna change
You’ll miss the magic of the good old days
Never thought we’d get old, maybe we’re still young
Maybe we always look back and think it was better than it was
Maybe these are the moments
Maybe I’ve been missing what it’s about
Been scared of the future, thinking about the past
While missing out on now
We’ve come so far, I guess I’m proud
And I ain’t worried about the wrinkles around my smile
I’ve got some scars, I’ve been around
I’ve felt some pain, I’ve seen some things, but I’m here now
Those good old days
You don’t know, what you’ve got
Till it goes, till it’s gone”
I feel so much emotion when I hear these words. We are going to “get old,” and so will our kids. I bet we will look back and see more magic than stress. Maybe I am “missing what it’s about”—focusing on the past, worrying about the future, missing out on the now—just as the song says. It is so easy to get lost in the past or be so focused on the future that we miss what is happening right before us.
There is something about realizing that these days are the “good old days.” In the moment, it might seem like a mess. It may seem mundane or never-ending.
But you know what they say, “The days are long but the years are short.”
Sometimes it’s hard to hear this when I’m having “a moment,” but it is the truth. I know I will miss these days. I don’t want to look back and believe I didn’t realize what I had when I had it, or to feel like I missed out on moments. So, for now I will continue to try to be as present as I can be.
“Have It All” – Jason Mraz
“May you have auspiciousness and causes of success
May you have the confidence to always do your best
May you take no effort in your being generous
Sharing what you can, nothing more nothing less
May you know the meaning of the word happiness
May you always lead from the beating in your chest
May you be treated like an esteemed guest
May you get to rest, may you catch your breath
And may the best of your todays be the worst of your tomorrows
And may the road less paved be the road that you follow
Well here’s to the hearts that you’re gonna break
Here’s to the lives that you’re gonna change
Here’s to the infinite possible ways to love you
I want you to have it
Here’s to the good times we’re gonna have
You don’t need money, you got a free pass
Here’s to the fact that I’ll be sad without you
I want you to have it all
Oh! I want you to have it all
I want you to have it
I want you to have it all
May you be as fascinating as a slap bracelet
May you keep the chaos and the clutter off your desk
May you have unquestionable health and less stress
Having no possessions though immeasurable wealth
May you get a gold star on your next test
May your educated guesses always be correct
And may you win prizes shining like diamonds
May you really own it each moment to the next”
…And this song, don’t we want so much for our kids? It’s hard to even put it into words. Just the fact that we want all these things for them and that we would do almost anything to help our kids achieve them, doesn’t this mean everything? Doesn’t this make us great parents? This hope, these aspirations, this drive to give and teach them everything. This is love.
“Better Place” – Rachel Platten
“I’ll tell the world, I’ll sing a song
It’s a better place since you came along
Since you came along
Your touch is sunlight through the trees
Your kisses are the ocean breeze
Everything’s alright when you’re with me
And I hold my favorite thing
I hold the love that you bring
But it feels like I’ve opened my eyes again
And the colors are golden and bright again
There’s a song in my heart, I feel like I belong
It’s a better place since you came along
It’s a better place since you came along”
Children can bring us frustrations, worries, and fears, but they can also bring us so much joy. Even in our faults, they still love us to their core. There have been nights when I have felt I yelled too much at bedtime—like the night my son had me chasing him in circles until I was out of breath. On these nights, I feel like I failed them. I feel like I wasn’t calm enough or caring enough. But in the morning, they still open their eyes and look at us like we are their favorite person in the whole world.
And there is not a day that I don’t look at them in wonder. I’m just waiting to see what they will add to this world one day.
But, the bottom line comes from:
“I’ll Be There For You” – Bon Jovi
“I’ll be there for you, these five words I swear to you
When you breathe, I want to be the air for you
I’ll be there for you
I’d live and I’d die for you
I’d steal the sun from the sky for you
Words can’t say what love can do
I’ll be there for you”
No matter the frustrations, the lack of compromise, their inability to meet us in the middle, the amount we have given of ourselves, or the hard, long days and nights. No matter how many times we feel like the “walls are caving in” or the number of times we feel like giving up, we won’t. Because we will be there for them… always. After all, they are our everything.
To learn more about me and my blog, check out: About Lauren
You may also enjoy: Managing Self-Talk As a Parent: Ask Yourself This Question or Moms Have Tantrums Too!