I evidently have entered another era where babies are popping up everywhere. Several musicians I know are new parents, and I am awash in the cuteness of the pictures on their phones of their little ones. Being a mom myself, I can tell you it is one of life’s greatest adventures. It is so strange, because growing up, I never wanted to have children. It was always positioned to me as a drudgery, a huge responsibility. I recoiled from that, but then one day, someone got me to thinking about the rest of it; the joy, the love, the communication, the teaching. I am glad I became a parent. Watching a child grow is simply amazing, and nurturing them is a wholly fulfilling pursuit.

But kids do grow, and you can only be there for them until they push away. There are things you can tell them that they won’t internalize, and there are things you hope go well. You pray that some episodes are not too painful for them when they go south. Life, there really are no Hallmark Cards for some of it, and no blueprints for most of it. But to be truly alive, you have to make your way. Have you heard about the book, Dear Me: A Letter To My Sixteen Year Old Self? One of the celebrities comments about not being stopped by fear. Go for it, no matter what.

Photo Credit: Rachel Moore

Today’s tune is from The Farewell Drifter’s album Echo Boom. Here is our recording of “Little Boy,” filmed at the Music Fog Fall Marathon, from Marathon Recorders in Nashville, during October's Americana Fest. If you like it, catch up with them on tour.

- Jessie Scott