Continuing the series about parents and children, inspired by the Country for Kids concert 11/18 supporting N.C. Children's Hospital. James Otto, Jason Michael Carroll, Clay Walker, and Rodney Atkins will be performing. I watched an interview that WQDR94.7, the radio station sponsoring the concert, posted with the mother of a patient at N.C. Children's Hospital so I decided to devote this post to parents. Being a parent of a healthy child, thank God, I can't begin to understand what it must be like waiting for a child to come out of surgery, waiting for serious test results, or seeing a child who is very uncomfortable or in pain. We should be grateful to our parents for raising us, and teaching us right from wrong, protecting us during our developmental years and providing moral support in adulthood, but those parents who sit night and day in hospitals rooms advocating, loving, and praying, deserve special recognition from all of us.
On a lighter note....
When I put together the "parenting" mix last week, I asked for suggestions from friends. Some of their suggestions were more about honoring a parent, either living or deceased, than about "Parenting" so I promised an "Honor your Father and Mother" mix. It does appear to be the one commandment I'm going to be able to make a mix about. As much material is available, I'm going to resist making a "Thou shalt not commit adultery" mix.
Many of these songs honoring parents focus on what the parent taught the child, so I'd like to point out a few things I learned from my parents.
Dad taught me to be an individual and not worry too much about what other people think. He passed down to me his artistic eye, distrust of exercise, tendency to become obsessed with a hobby, and appreciation for dirty jokes. The one skill that appears to have skipped a generation is his incredible ability to watch WWII naval battles on TV and read unrelated non-fiction simultaneously, retaining detailed information from both sources.
Mom taught me how to be a friend and entertain. One thing is for sure. Just like Mom, I'll put off almost any self-imposed obligation for lunch with a friend. Like Mom, I will have people over at the drop of a hat. Unlike Mom, the cutlery may be a mishmash of colored plastic, the plates leftovers from a birthday party and the house messy, but there will be more than enough food and drink to keep all guests well fed and watered. We have an expression in our house that comes from Mom. "Is it generous? Because we need to be generous." We may joke about it, but we know she's right.
I've added some good recommendations from friends to the few country songs that immediately came to mind. This list is a work in progress. Being a parent, wife and designer have gotten in the way of my blogging these last few days. Please make suggestions in the comments section. I'll periodically add some of your contributions to the list.
Chris Young, Voices
Clay Walker, Fore She Was Mama
Allen Jackson, Drive
Carrie Underwood, Mama's Song
Steve Goodman, My Old Man (you'll have to google it and listen on iLike)
Keith Urban, Song for Dad
Confederate Railroad, Daddy Never was the Cadillac Kind
Sugarland, Baby Girl
Jace Everett, Between a Father and a Son
2Pac, Dear Mama
Tom Jones and John Farham, My Yiddishe Mama
Connie Francis, My Yiddishe Mama (Yiddish/English version)
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