When momma sang us to sleep…

Growing up, my bed-time routine was not complete until my mother sang to me.

There was absolutely nothing more calming than my mother stroking my hair, singing, “God made you someone special…” while I drifted off to sleep. In those sacred moments, the world felt clear, my worries melted away, and I felt safe.

Some of you might be familiar with new song, “Stressed Out” by Twenty One Pilots, where the inspiration of this article stems from. The full chorus goes:

“Wish I could turn back time, to the good old days, when momma sang us to sleep, and now we’re stressed out.”

With the ever-growing responsibilities of adult-hood, it’s very easy to resonate with this song and feel nostalgic for the simpler stress-free days of childhood.

When I was a kid, one of the biggest stressors I had was just trying to get the laundry folded and put away before the commercial break was over and Matlock or Murder She Wrote returned (you thought I might say “before Double Dare returned” but, no. My older sister had a strong affinity for senior citizen murder mysteries in syndication, so I fell victim — hah, see what I did there?).

My parents did a fantastic job loving and caring for us. I always knew that no matter what struggles our family might face, whether it be financial or emotional, we would be OK, and that my parents would figure out a solution. That confidence was not accidental. My mom and dad worked hard to build that foundation of security for my sister and me. They trusted God to provide our “daily bread” (note: daily, not yearly), and we were never without.

Being a good parent is the ultimate pay it forward.

I am officially grown up now. I have a career, a mortgage, taxes to pay, and most importantly, a baby who is 100% dependent on me to live. It’s my turn now.

I consider it a great privilege to be Fin’s parent, to be a great source of protection and provision, and to instill in him the confidence that he will always have what he needs.

And now it’s my turn to sing, “God made you someone special” to him while I stroke his hair and rock him to sleep. At almost 11mos he still coos sometimes when I rock him…#swoon!

In these sacred moments with my son, my world feels clear, my worries melt away, and I feel safe - because he is safe.