She Sings-They Listen

Someone my age has just got to love someone named Taylor Swift. Her grace and class after being interrupted by rapper Kanae West during the MTV- VHI awards was noteworthy. The unfortunate incident brought even more positive attention to this talented nineteen year old. I say even more because she is one of the most popular artists in country music today. Popular with all ages, (my 21 year old for one), but she is incredibly popular with young tween and teen girls.

This is a very good thing.

Researching to write this column reinforced my first reaction to Ms. Swift. She grew up in a strong and supportive family and still lives at home. In high school Taylor was an excellent student. She recognized her talent and followed her dream. The young entertainer moved with the whole fam to Nashville when she began to be noticed as a performer. Amazingly, she did not sign with the first recording company offer because Taylor wanted more artistic control-(at 17!)

This is an age of spoiled and self-centered celebrities. Many such celebrities are famous for being famous. They are known for what they wear, where they hang out, and how much they spend. Our youth are bombarded with which addiction is popular, who is having who's baby, temper tantrums and prima donna's. The topics of "teen" magazines are x-rated and presented as if all choices are acceptable. As parents, we can jump and down and wave our arms. "Hey! Look this way." Be wise." Parents need to do this. But our pictures are not what is hung on our teens bulletin boards. Our words are not in their ipod. What young girls (and boys) need are positive role models who don't preach and who know where our kids are coming from.

That's where we are glad for successful young women like Taylor Swift. She writes her own songs and she speaks the words all young girls want to say. She verbalizes all the angst and the joy that it means to be a teenager. Her lyrics are universal and timeless. I knew exactly what Taylor meant in the following song. When I was in the 10th grade, my senior was on the football team, had a hank of hair that he was always brushing out of his eyes and wore Weejuns with no socks. He ate Bar-B-Que every day at lunch. He had a forest green 442 and always drove with his left arm out the window. I don't think he ever even knew my name.

Fifteen

You take a deep breath and you walk through the doors
It's the morning of your very first day
You say hi to your friends you ain't seen in a while
Try and stay out of everybody's way

It's your freshman year and you're gonna be here
For the next four years in this town
Hoping one of those senior boys will wink at you and say
You know I haven't seen you around, before Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
And when you're fifteen
Feeling like there nothing to figure out
Well count to ten, take it in
This is life before who you're gonna be
Fifteen

And then you're on your very first date and he's got a car
And you're feeling like flying
And you're momma's waiting up and you think he's the one
And you're dancing round your room when the night ends
When the night ends

Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tell you they love you
You're gonna believe them
When you're fifteen and your first kiss
Makes your head spin round but
In your life you'll do greater than dating the boy on the football team
But i didn't know it at fifteen

When all you wanted was to be wanted
Wish you could go back and tell yourself what you know now
Back then I swore I was gonna marry him someday
But I realized some bigger dreams of mine

And Abigail gave everything she had to a boy
Who changed his mind and we both cried

Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
And when you're fifteen, don't forget to look before you fall
I've found that time can heal most anything
And you just might find who you're supposed to be
I didn't know who Iwas supposed to be at fifteen

You're very first day
Take a deep breath girl
Take a deep breath as you walk through those doors.

Could anyone have put it any better? Taylor-thanks for speaking the language that our young girls will listen to. Thank you for saying the things they all need to hear. chrissie

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