Slow down, children

Have you caught the latest buzz over this tear jerker video? The song “Slow Down”, written by Nichole Nordeman, 44, has garnered over 11 million views. And it is not difficult to find out why this video has inspired so many parents to tear spontaneously.

Nordeman is a single mother to two children, Charlie who is 12, and Pepper who is 7. She wrote this song the night before Charlie graduated from fifth grade, and felt more emotional than she had expected herself to.

“I dug out a few pictures of him as little boy. Kindergarten. Karate lessons. Drumming. Throwing a Frisbee. I felt such a wave of sadness that those moments were gone. And as proud as I was of him as a fifth grader, my main emotion in that moment was a deep desire to hit the brakes on this whole growing-up business,” said Nordeman in an interview.

The result? A magical piece created in about an hour, with tears in her eyes as she tapped at the keys. She sang this song at Charlie’s graduation the next day.

The song has struck a chord in the hearts of many parents, as they observe how quickly their children are growing up before their eyes. Sometimes, they wish to slow down the process.

“I think any time a song connects at this level, it’s pointing to some universally true thing that a lot of us experience,” said Nordeman. “So many of us are trying to slow down this breakneck speed at which we live our lives and be in the now. I think that might be why people have responded so emotionally.”

This video particularly resonates with me as very often, parents are anxious for their children to do more and learn more at a faster rate. Perhaps at times, we can take time and slow down, to allow our children to learn at their pace, to be happy and joyful, and to enjoy childhood.