This post is written by Eileen Miller.  Eileen is an artist and marketing executive living in Maryland with her husband Robert.  She has two amazing kids, Luke and Rose.  Music has permeated all of their lives.

Welcome to the new feature of “baby love”! From the moment Lynn contacted me about
becoming a guest writer for the music portion of The Primary Dilemma, I just knew I
was “into something good.”

Music rocks my world. I have never gone an entire day without listening to, singing, and/
or playing music on the piano. I can’t say for certain that my now out-of-the-nest children
have gone an entire day without it, but I certainly hope not.

When knocking around a few names for this feature, I decided to go with “baby love”
since it not only reminded me of the early days of first time motherhood, but also brought
me back to one of my earliest music memories.

There came a day, prior to Luke’s crawling stage, when I found myself at a loss of what
to do next. It was 11 a.m. and Luke had been fed/diapered/dressed, strolled through the
neighborhood, placed beneath the black & white activity gym to stare at brain-powering
patterns, and created a masterpiece with a mighty grip on a magic marker while I held the
sketchbook. And there he was … quietly reclined in his tabletop seat tracking my every
movement with a look of, “now what?”

The perfectly-timed answer came with a phone call from my sister, Mary. After
recounting the morning and asking for some ideas, her game-changing suggestion
was, “Baby Love.” And then I remembered how Diana Ross and The Supremes reigned
supreme when my sister had control of the record player in our childhood home.

So from classical music and lullabies (first time mother, remember?), Luke was
introduced to the rhythm of Motown and the beat of busting moves. On my hip, that
bright-eyed boy was all smiles as we bopped around the living room. And twenty one
years later, that man can dance!

Has anyone ever experienced that moment in motherhood where music has played a special role?  Whether it is soothing a baby, dancing with a toddler or connecting with an emerging adolescent, music has amazing power. 

I grew up in a house that was rich with music…the Doors, Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, and Bruce Springsteen.  It created an incredible soundtrack to my childhood and a cultural education that I didn't even know I was getting.  Most importantly, music created an intimate connection with my parents – because no one else shared our favorite songs. 

As an adult, music has been an important element in my relationship with my kids.  My most recent encounter with the power of music happened last weekend on a roadtrip from New Jersey to Maryland with my ten year old daughter for her hockey tournament.  Given that there are four children in our family, it is very special to have time alone with any of them.  She and I shared a great weekend.  But the most incredible part was fueled by one song. 

On our ride back home, my daughter was playing music from her I-Pod.  She stumbled upon a song that I had loaded for her by Garrett Gue called SUGAR.  It is a terrific song.  If chocolate gets you through your day, you will smile.  Play it.

But the magic came, when she realized that she loved the song as much as I did.  We started singing along, then replaying the song to memorize the lyrics.  Her I-Pod eventually ran out of charge, but not before we could sing every word by heart!  She had her favorite line and I had mine.  We were laughing and loving!

Music is powerful!  Enjoy it with your kids!  It teaches, connects and often makes you smile.  The Music of Motherhood will be a regular feature on the PRIMARY DILEMMA Blog.  Please share your own music moments!

Be Well!

Lynn