Are We There Yet?: Music Moves Us

We’re pleased to welcome back our “Are We There Yet?” blog with the fine folks at the O’Regan’s KIA Dartmouth dealership to help us with the content.  This monthly blog feature is the perfect read for any parents who feell like they are always in the car – picking up, dropping off, road tripping or slugging groceries.

Here’s the first post from KIA’s Amanda Morvan – a working mom of 2 who spends lots of time in her car!

 

Mom: Where’s your other shoe W?
W: I don’t know, I can’t find it!
Mom: J, help your sister find her shoe.
J: Which jacket do I wear my blue or black one?
Mom: Blue. Help your sister find her shoe.
J: But I want to wear the black one.
Mom: Fine. W, where are you?
W: I can’t find Bunny and I want to bring him. Oh, here he is. Mom, where’s my other shoe?
Mom: Just wear your boots. J, where are you?
J: Coming Mom! Just getting my IPod! (Yelling from the floor above)
 
Finally. Everyone walks out the door. Mom, J, and his sister W get settled comfortably in the car. Seatbelts on. Everyone is quiet. Mom forgets for a moment where she is. She turns on the radio. Firework by Katy Perry is playing. Mom reaches for the dial to change the channel. W says “No Mom! I love that song!” J says “No Mom! I hate that song!” Pause. Deep breath.
 
 
So, yes, I’m Mom. I thought, for a moment, I had control of the stereo. A little JT, Adele, or Keith Urban. Catch up on SportsTalk radio. Yeah, right. I’m a parent. For minimum 16 years, I, as most of you, will enjoy many a medley of Raffi, Sharon, Lois and Bram, Selena Gomez, Biebs, and One Direction.   When the fight over the stations ensue, we turn off the radio and go over the rules. This normally has to happen every time we go… well, anywhere. I’ve found that a rotation seems to be the best way to control the munity. Two songs each… that’s the rule. With that, I find myself to be a savant of music media, juggling between FM, Satellite, USB, and iPod.  
 
But hey, music is what makes the world go round. Music moves us. Music opens communication and understanding between those who are otherwise misunderstood. I love the rare moments when my 11 year old and I are alone and on our way anywhere together. A song comes on, and he will start to sing or tap out the beat. I see how his love for music is evolving. The moments I love are those where a lyric in a song touches a life issue, and we begin to talk, using that 15-20 mins to connect.
 
For instance, Classified’s Inner Ninja
“I climbed the highest mountains,
I swam the coldest seas.
There ain’t nothing I’ve faced that’s been too much for me”
 
Or Sara Bareilles’s Brave
“Say what you want to say,
And let the words fall out,
Honestly, I wanna see you be Brave”
 
 
It’s those kinds of words that empower, and build up confidence and resilience in the face of difficult situations. So I’ll take what they want to throw at me, and I’ll use it. It might be those moments driving in the car, singing with Mom that helps them thru an obstacle they face. And yeah, they may laugh, moan and groan at me, but they never tell me to stop.
 
Even Katy Perry’s Firework
“You don’t have to feel like a waste of space
You’re original, cannot be replaced.
If you only knew what the future holds,                                                                      
After a hurricane comes a rainbow.”                                                          
                                                                                                                                               
 
Visit O’Regan’s Kia Dartmouth at 402 Windmill Rd, Dartmouth or www.oreganskiadartmouth.com for all your family’s automotive needs. Amanda Morvan, General Manager, is mother to 2 school age children, and partner to her husband who attends college full time.

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