"Teenage Daughters"

Throughout my life, I would say there have been two constants: God and Country Music. Tonight, as I watched the Tivo version of the Academy of Country Music Awards with my mom, I realized one of the contributing factors to my life-long devotion to the genre…

More than a few performances in, Martina McBride made her way into the spotlight to begin a song called, “Teenage Daughters.” My mom promptly got my attention and asked that I listen to the words she was singing…

“I ain’t complainin’ but I’m tired, so I’m just sayin’ what I think

And if we’re bein’ honest, and honestly I think I need a drink.”

My baby’s growin’ up, she thinks she’s fallin’ all in love, and that I hate her.

At 17 she’s just like me when I was 17, so I don’t blame her.”

(Hmmmm….I thought the tune was catchy, but I wasn’t quite sure where it was going. Then…)

“It’s like it happened over night. We’re always wrong, they’re always right.

We used to be the ones breaking the rules.

Now we’re just mothers and we’re just fathers,

of teenage daughters.”

Ahhh…I see.

As I was driving home, I did a lot of laughing, reflecting and rejoicing.

I remembered a summer-long frenzy of pranks, volleyball tournaments, and my first solo drive to school. I remembered emotion-filled fights with my parents, and reflected on how I dumb I felt afterword. I wrestled with thoughts of my eating disorder, and the pain caused by it. I laughed over funny sleepover moments, summer memories, and the things I thought were such a BIG deal. I thought about homecoming, prom, graduation, and moving away to college.

I thought about the night I FINALLY stopped living for myself alone, and began to allow the Lord to shape my life. I rejoiced.

As I pulled up to my apartment, I got out of my car and thanked God for the experience of being a teenager. Although there were moments that made my parents run in circles, I can’t imagine walking through the ups and downs of teenage-life without them.

McBride’s song is clever. It got me thinking. It made me thankful. It spoke to my heart. I think that is why I love this music.