When you just gotta dance.

I was raised in what I consider to be a decently musical family. Mom sings. My two sisters and I all played piano and one other instrument through high school, and we all sang in choir at one point or another. Even one of my sisters even became a music teacher! Dad does none of the above but has a real love for music. I'm only 28, and I am already getting more disappointed with music as decades go by. Granted, my parents listened to music from the 60s and 70s, my sisters listened to music from the 80s, and I listened to stuff from the 90s. Beyond about 2005, it gets a little fuzzy for me on what's popular. I just feel like the message, musicality, and emotion is getting lost in fashion and technology. When was the last time we heard someone great just get up with a guitar and a microphone?

No matter what kind of tunes you listen to, whether or not you can sing, or if you were born 80 years ago or 8 months ago - music is important. Just look at how many times singing to the Lord is mentioned in the Bible! Old music takes us back to another time. Slow ballads can make us cry. Listen to a drum beat and tell me you aren't moving your feet!

But what about music and mothering? Maybe you are in the stage when all you hear is Old MacDonald and the B-I-B-L-E. For all of you out there - stick with it! Singing to your kids and playing instruments (even the homemade kind) encourages coordination, rhythm and even confidence with your kids. For those of you with older kids, listen to some of your old favorites with them. Talk about what was going on in the world when it was popular. If they have grandparents, get them involved and have them do the same. Where were you when John Lennon was shot? What music did grandpa listen to when he was in the war? Do mom and dad have a song?

Unfortunately for us, moms, the door swings both ways. You may not like or understand Lady Gaga or Jay-Z, but you can bet the kids at your child's school do. Talk about what they like and listen to it. Look at what the fashion is all about (and talk about that too - especially if you have girls - YIKES!) and keep up with the technology.

I want to make sure my kids know who Aretha Franklin, Nat King Cole, The Bee Gees, The Beatles, and Michael Jackson are so that in some way the gifts God has given these people can touch hearts for all eternity. And perhaps my children will be able to teach me a thing or two in the process.