It seems like every time I turn on the TV (well, to a station that isn’t Noggin, Nick Jr., or PBS, that is), another young star is being arrested for DUI or having some personal crisis. When your kids are young, you can shield them from the media and have total control over what they watch. But as I am finding out, the older they get, the less you can control. My son comes home from school and knows things about shows he has never seen. The time has come that my kids will encounter role models that I haven’t strategically provided.
I don’t have little girls but if I did I would be even more grateful for a role model like Taylor Swift. I have to admit that I have never been a fan of country music. I admire the accomplishments and success of country singers but that type of music was never my preference. It took a young girl with a magical voice and heartfelt lyrics to draw me in.
It started when I began hearing her more familiar songs while shopping. The tunes would become embedded in my head until I was humming songs I didn’t know. This led me to itunes.com and finally downloading songs from this talented artist. I was amazed at how I could listen to a song and in an instant, be taken back to the way I felt as a 15-year-old girl, from my first love to fitting in, and even not fitting in. I was impressed by the truth in her words and the positive messages she projects.
Her songs capture a time when inexperience was a good thing and love was truly a fairytale. She has an amazing way of providing a “time machine” to bring you back to your own memories. The more I learn about her, the more I am impressed and thankful that little girls have someone like this to look up to. I can honestly say that I will probably buy her new album, “Speak Now.” I am not her target audience. Still, I like to support things that I believe in.
As a mother, I think a lot about the pressures that kids (especially teenagers) encounter. It breaks my heart that my own boys will have to go through experiences that I will not be able to save them from. Sometimes the only thing a parent can do is teach kids the coping skills that will help them make the best decisions. I hope that I am doing a good job.