Sometimes, on the way to school, my daughter’s requested Disney songs make me contemplate my life.
I let Naima play her favorite songs of the moment. She’s occupied, which allows me to run through the mile-long to-do lists in my mind, kiss my teeth at potholes and bad drivers, or whatever’s on my mind.
Right now, Frozen’s “Let It Go” is her jam. After a while, the songs sync with my thoughts. I’m driving and thinking, “Wow, Elsa is right. I need to let it go and be myself.”
Last year, she forced me to listen to Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” every single day. Can you imagine the torture?
Now, she takes after me with her great ear for music. We’ve also had local artist Dead Silence’s “Vanilla Bean, Pt. 2” on repeat. She also loves Eminem (courtesy of her father) and Bad Brains.
Lately, she’s rotated to “Surface Pressure,” the song about the Madrigal family’s eldest daughter, Luisa. Basically, she’s the strongest and the one that holds everything together.
It’s her duty as the oldest sibling.
I’m the oldest sibling in my family, so this song makes me weepy. Luisa handles things the way I do. “I’m the strongest, I’m not nervous. I’m as tough as the crust of the Earth is,” she sings.
Then, we pull up to school, and I snap back to reality and schedule a therapy appointment.
Ariana Beedie is a millennial Aries mom of a Gen Alpha Capricorn diva princess. Guess who’s in charge? You can reach her at ariana.beedie@mirrorindy.org.
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