Saturday's Songs for the Soul: Songs About Motherhood & Empowerment

Thought for the Day:  Next week I will be focusing on new faces of motherhood. I will be speaking at The Museum of Motherhood on the importance of mothers pursuing their dreams, not only for their own mental health, but also as role models for their children. Therefore, I decided to start the week by sharing some songs about mothers, letting go & empowerment of women & mothers. Women, who in the past few years have broken into the "good old boy" network in Country music have been strong role models for women. I may share some more songs like these next week from other artists & genres.

"How Can I Help You Say Goodbye" performed by Grammy award winning singer Patty Loveless is the touching story of how  follows a mother helps her daughter deal with losses. This beautiful song was written by Karen Taylor-Good & Burton Collins.

                                                                                Suzy Bogguss performs "Letting Go," a song about the transition from childhood to adulthood when mothers (and fathers) need to let their children go. She wrote the song with her husband songwriter Doug Crider.

This video of Mary Chapin Carpenter who wrote & performs, "He Thinks He’ll Keep Her," includes a short portion of her speaking about the song's message of empowerment of a wife & mother who realizes that she must change directions in her life to live her own dreams.

 

"Wide Open Spaces" is another coming of age song performed by the Dixie Chicks. I love the lyric & the soaring melody that captures how important it is for parents to give their children room to make their own mistakes. The song was penned by Susan Gibson. Natalie Maines, the lead singer from the Dixie Chicks has a new solo album coming out on May 7th ironically called "Mother." I will have to check it out when it is released.

I hope you enjoy these songs & will come back this week  to read about the changing roles of mothers. Have a wonderful weekend!

#FF Friday's Fab Finds : A Boston Tribute, No More Tears, Research on Terrorism, & Chocolate Bars

Thought for the Day: In light of all the negative press still fixated on Boston, here are some Fabulous Finds that are more uplifting. Today's finds consist of a creative way San Francisco runners ran in response to the Boston tragedy, a former actress helping abused women build a better life, a study that found patterns that may help us prevent terrorism & how a six year old boy raised $150,000 for his sick friend. Read on to restore your faith in humanity with this Friday’s Fabulous Finds!

San Francisco Runners Spell Out 'BOSTON' on Their Jog Last Tuesday night, the San Francisco Road Runners Club organized a 6.78 mile run to support Boston. Considering Boston’s & San Francisco’s long-standing rivalry, this was an incredibly thoughtful, compassionate gesture.

Somy Ali

Former film star devoted to rescuing women from domestic violence. No More Tears is a non profit organization founded by Bollywood actress, Somy Ali. She quit the film industry to aid immigrant women to escape from abusive relationships. To do this, she temporarily puts women up in a motel, helps them move into a studio apartment & helps them find work. Learn how this superstar has helped more than 600 women & children create better lives for themselves.



Why Are Terrorists So Often Young Men? The Huffington Posts’s article, “Why Are Terrorists So Often Young Men?” investigates neurological determinants of terrorism in young men. Author Meredith Melnick chose to examine gender & age. Perhaps the findings will help focus on this at risk population to develop preventative programs. Read this article to learn more about this startling phenomenon.

Dylan & Jacob

Six year-old Dylan Siegel Raised $150,000 for his best friend who suffers from a rare illness. This video featured on AOL tells how Dylan wrote & published a book, The Chocolate Bar. Click to learn more about this amazing enterprise. Better yet, go to http://chocolatebarbook.com/ to donate to the Jonah Pournazarian Glycogen Storage Disease 1B Fund at the University of Florida & receive a copy of the book.

Hope you will come back for Saturday's Songs for the Soul,  Sunday's Comic Strips & next week's posts which will be focused on why mothers need to keep dreaming as role models for their children. This will be the topic of a talk I will be giving at the “New” Motherhood?: Evolving Policies, Practices, and Families Conference on MAY 2, 3, 4 at The Museum of Motherhood in New York City. My presentation will be on Thursday, May 2 at 3 PM. If you will be in NYC please come & meet me! Have a wonderful weekend!
                         Barbara
             

Mother's Day Part V: If My Daughters Ruled the World

From

The lesser-known maladies of motherhood

A humorous look at the myriad ailments brought on by parenting.

Beth Teitell

Boston  Globe

Thought for today: If you'd like to laugh out loud about modern motherhood, it is worth a 99 cent trial subscription to the Boston Globe to read the article referenced above. (If you are not familiar with the Globe, it is a great paper.) I was in Boston on Friday, to see my granddaughter's dance recital. I saw both my daughters & all my grandchildren. When I told my oldest daughter that I was adding one more post (Part IV) to my Mother's Day series that I thought was a completed trilogy (Part I, Part II,  Part III) she said, "You need: If My Daughters Ruled the World." Which led to this 5th & final post for mothers who are in the midst of parenting the next generation. If you have children below the age of 18, I'd love to hear your thoughts & dreams of how things would change if you were in charge of the world.

I asked my daughter what she would like me to say, if I wrote a post from her perspective. She told me that she needed to think about it. My daughters will need to write their own views on this topic, but I'd like to speak about how I see them as they inspire my grandchildren. Both of my daughters are busy women juggling child care with their own aspirations. As they continue their own work & education, they nurture their children's growing interests in dance, football, tennis, music, lacrosse, basketball, fencing, & baseball to name just a few! Add cooking, cleaning, laundry & sleep, & there is little time for their own needs.

I am proud to see that despite all the duties they fulfill for their children, they are making space for their dreams & aspirations. By doing so, they are role models for their children, teaching them that mothers continue to grow & dream throughout their lives. My younger daughter's kids have been "high-fiving" their mother since she began reporting her grades as she completed her BA. They continue to be her biggest supporters as she works on her Masters in Special Education. My older daughter's kids have read their Mother & Great-great Grandmother's Memoir, Stored Treasures which their mother published. They helped her develop the cover of her book to find just the right design.

Every day my daughters & all mothers have the opportunity to change the world by teaching their children that with perseverance & hard work, you can make a difference. As they recycle, study how much electricity & gas they are using, they are showing their children simple things they can do to reduce our carbon footprint. When they donate clothing or canned goods to needier families, they are making a statement on helping others. During meals, they talk about current events. Over breakfast, on Saturday, my 16 year old grandson asked whether research projects can be banned by public intervention. An interesting discussion of the pros & cons of the banning the study of viruses that might help cure diseases resulted.

So, even when you feel overwhelmed by the day-to-day chores, carpools & challenges (& lesser known maladies of Motherhood) of running a busy household, remember, you are in charge of changing the world & the future of the world is in your hands by influencing your children. Use your influence wisely. Happy Mother's Day!

I'd love to hear ways you as busy mothers today are helping change the world.