When you become a parent you can convince yourself of ANYTHING ….I believe it is self preservation.
I always “saw” myself (in my mind) as this easy going, lackadaisical, non confrontational parent.
I had visions of me TOTALLY relaxed, school everyday at the beach, never spanking…and NEVER, EVER raising my voice or yelling.
Because…..I would be under control, patient, loving, kind, and CALM at all times.
Ha.
Ha.
Ha.
Life is hilarious.
I guess in my mind I always thought that with children those traits would naturally APPEAR in me.
WTH???
Who was I kidding?
If I have learned 1,754,420 things since starting to lose my mind having kids…it is this.
I know NOTHING.
I never know where life lessons will come from.
After being pregnant 4 times, nursing for 8 years, changing countless diapers,refereeing unthought-of of arguments, dealing with sibling rivalry, homeschooling for 8 years, dealing with a teenager, a preteen, a tween, and an 8 year old who thinks she is a preteen(like her sister)and 2 “sex talks”(so far…YIKES!!!)….
I STILL only know SLIGHTLY more than nothing.
Because …Now I KNOW that I know nothing.
This all came to me very clearly the other day during school.
During the morning…while they are doing their journaling or drawing…we listen to music.
Generally we alternate and everyone picks a song.
It always brings in the perfect amount of fun to the morning. Although to the neighbors …I'm SURE that our schoolroom seems completely bi-polar.
We go from…
The doors
to
Red Hot Chili Peppers
to
Eminem
to
Gwen Stefani
to
Bob Marley
to
Imagine Dragons
to
Countless other POP singers that I cant remember.
It is always a lesson for me in ACCEPTANCE.
It takes everything I have to ACCEPT that they like POP MUSIC more than REGGAE.
GASP! (Yet another thing I never saw coming.)
As they have gotten older…..I have actually embraced this as an opportunity to get to know them better. I feel like if I listen to what they like WITH THEM…maybe they will listen to ME more.ILLOGICAL…I know. I try to really listen to songs with them. We break them down word for word sometimes, we analyze the meanings of the lines….which they LOVE. Not.
Imagine me deciphering “Royals” by Lorde for them…
They LOVE it…LOL.
I'm sure they think it takes all the “fun” out of it.
But…
I think that the words matter.
I think that music should SAY something.
Sometimes today…POP MUSIC doesn’t SAY anything.
ESPECIALLY for girls.
Most of the time it is all about GIVING yourself away, talking bad about someone else, or wanting something you cant have.
In the end….making you feel inadequate.
BUT…every once in a while I come across a song that I TRULY LOVE.
A song that SEEPS with encouragement, INSPIRATION, and energy. A song that LIFTS you up with words.
THAT SONG right now is “ROAR” by Katy Perry.
I know.
Katy Perry.
She is pretty amazing though….if you can see past the boob cupcakes she has worn before.
As we watched the video the other day I talked to Shasha and Sheba about how she is so pretty…but being FUNNY makes her even PRETTIER.
We talked about how she has pretty hair, and clothes, and make up…but the prettiest asset she has…
is the ability to laugh at herself.
THAT is where her TRUE beauty lies.
That is where the REAL DIAMONDS are….gleaming thru in her sense of humor.
I tried to tell them that when you can laugh at yourself and be funny…..your TRUE beauty shines thru.
And then it hit me once again….
You NEVER know.
You never know WHO or WHAT or in WHAT form your life lessons will come.
Sometimes they come in the form of Katy Perry….in the jungle, roaring at a tiger, brushing an elephants teeth.
2 comments:
Hi Jana,
I stumbled upon your story shortly before taking an organic farming internship on St. Croix USVI last year. It was really cool to see the dynamic and consistency of Jah in your family's life.
I had been to Jamaica a couple times prior to St. Croix and can say that I found the presence of Rastafari far more prevalent, strong, and unfiltered in St. Croix. Maybe I just got a lot more perspective living in the VI as opposed to the surface exposure I got being a tourist on JamRock...
I brought back to the states with me a love for the ideals of HIM and have been reasoning and applying these new beliefs with the foundation of beliefs I retained while being raised Baptist. So, far it has been somewhat trying to align my new found beliefs with those in which I was raised but I know its real because I have never had Jah at the forefront of my mind for such a long and sustained period of my life and it has only grown stronger...
Now, I am a new father and this is where I would really like to pick you and Jay's brains...
The herbal sacrament, the healing of the nations. I haven't came across any references to this in your blog. I see that as your babies are growing that you must confront their exposure to babylon- pop music, public education-,as well as, "sex talks." While bringing up the youth with rasta have you had to have a talk about the sacrament? If so, what was your way?
bless up,
Jacob
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