Have you heard the “Mom Song” by Anita Renfroe? Sung (I use
that word loosely) to the tune of the “William Tell Overture”, she condenses
what she believes to be a mom’s 24 hour discourse with her children into a ‘song’
lasting just under three minutes.
Anyway...I heard the song on the radio the other morning and
as I listened, two things came to mind.
1)
The words “I love you” were wedged into the song
(near the end) only once.
2)
The words “I’m sorry” were not mentioned at all.
Okay, so I know the song is meant to be satirical. I also
know there’s a bit of truth in it, too. I’m not too proud to admit I’ve played
the because-I-said-so card a few times. So in some ways, the song is good for a
chuckle or two. But what I don’t want is for parents to listen to this song and
nod their heads in agreement—thinking that this is what parenting is all about.
Don’t forget that for every ‘brush your teeth’, ‘don’t make
me tell you twice’, and ‘no dessert if you don’t eat your dinner’, there needs
to be at least a dozen ‘I love you’s’.
Don’t forget that two of the most powerful words you will
ever say to your child are ‘I’m sorry’. Saying ‘I’m sorry’ is essential,
because let’s face it—you aren’t always right. You do make mistakes and your
attitude isn’t always what it should be. You’re human—every parent is. In fact,
parents are just as human as their children.
My intent is not to bash Anita Renfroe and her song, but at
the same time, I want parents to remember that her rendition of the average day
in the life of a mom is not what you should be striving for or willing to
settle for. Your kids deserve more than that from you and you deserve more than
that from your role as a parent.
So go ahead…make up your own mom song—one that let’s
everyone know you see parenting as a privilege instead of a chore of
never-ending reminders and ‘police actions’.
"I love you, Zach, Elizabeth, Olivia
& Emma Dale and I’m sorry for (you can fill in the blank).": sung to the tune of...
Love,
Momma D
Copyright 2015-Darla Noble No part of this can be printed, copied, or reproduced without permission from the author.
