Every night, between 4:30 and 5:00 I go in the kitchen, I turn on my stereo and jack up the volume. I start preparing whatever meal it is we are going to eat that night and listen to whatever music suits my mood. Yesterday was a Marilyn Manson mood for the simple reason I was frustrated and needed to hear some angry music. I blared AntiChrist Superstar the entire time I cooked our pasta dinner. But as I was doing this I was thinking how strange it was that me, being a 28 year old mother of two children under 10, was listening to this music while cooking for my family. Now being 28 and being a Manson fan is nothing unusual, but being a stay at home mom of a daughter who loves Hannah Montana and Taylor Swift and a son that is obsessed with Spongebob and Wow Wow Wubzy did make the whole situation somewhat comical. I mean there I was in my tank top and pj pants, hair up with only some 8g earrings and a tongue ring as evidence of my former teenage years, singing along to Manson while the kids are playing the next room. Doesn't this seem a little strange to anyone else? I mean music is music and everyone has their own tastes but it's very different then when I was a kid.
When I was little my mom was already older then most of the other moms of kids my age. She was 34 when I was born which had her being born in the 40's. Not long after WWII as a matter of fact. So she grew up in a very different time with very different parents. But I grew up hearing music from the 50's, 60's and a little bit from the 70's. Mostly motown hits and such. Then when I was old enough I was introduced to 80's music by my sister who is 10 years older then me. So I got to hear lots of Motley Crue, Metallica, Guns N Roses, Cinderella, Poison, etc. Then finally the 90's rolled around. Unfortunately I was very into R&B and rap during the first part of the 90's. Now some of it was ok but I missed out on a wonderful opportunity to really experience bands like Nirvana, I'm making up for that now though. I think I have very eclectic musical taste. Thanks to my high school music teacher, Mr. James Foster, I came to appreciate musicals and opera for the beautiful art form that it is. I was introduced to Broadway musicals such as Phantom of the Opera, Jekyll and Hyde, Les Miserables and Footloose. I love them all and I really think everyone should experience at least one musical in their lifetime.
It all just makes me wonder how music affects our lives. I have always used music as a therapist, a friend, a comforter, and a place to escape to. Whenever I felt down or depressed I was always able to find the perfect song to describe how I was feeling and ultimately make me feel better. Songs make me laugh, they make me cry and they make me want to run around the house shaking my butt. But do we really acknowledge how it affects us? I mean we all hear a song that reminds us of our childhood. For me it's Baby Love or Do Wah Diddy. Those songs make me feel good and instantly take me back to whatever house we were living in at the time and all those feelings and memories come rushing back. I can almost smell the food my mom cooked, I picture exactly how my room looked and how I felt in that very moment. It's amazing.
So I just wonder, when my kids grow up will they remember me in the kitchen cooking pasta and listening to Marilyn Manson? Will they remember me driving them to Walmart listening to Nirvana unplugged? Will their favorite memories be associated with the songs that caused such a stink when I was a kid? But then, what good music hasn't caused a stink at some point? I can't change my musical taste just so my kids will remember me as the perfect Norman Rockwell mom. But I can introduce them to music that changed the world. People like Marilyn Manson, Kurt Cobain, Jonathan Davis (Korn), the guys of Metallica, all of them have changed the face of music. Just like Lady Gaga is doing today. She may not be everyone's favorite but she will be remembered for her mark in music history.
We are the new generation of motherhood. We are the mothers who grew up in the grunge decade and idolized people like Eddie Veddor and Kurt and Courtney (no wonder there are so many of us getting divorced huh? LOL). Our kids are growing up with a new way of thinking, tattoos are ok, my Mom and Dad have them. Piercings? eh..nothing big there, my Mom has a tongue ring. Purple hair? Who cares? my mom dyes her hair all the time. Bad words in a song? No biggie, that's just artistic expression. What will our kids be like when they grow up? I don't really know...but I think...I'm gonna like it.
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