Parents are there for you since day one and are there to support you, wipe your nose, be your wallet, your shoulder to cry on, or anything else you may need. You may see them as your “birth givers” on both your phone and in life, but they are also there to guide you through life as you grow up. And as you grow up, sometimes you have to be like Miley Cyrus and chop your childhood into tiny little pieces and bury them in your backyard, with the certainty that those memories will always be there. And even though it’s a cycle that everyone goes through and people leave families, sometimes parents are hesitant in accepting those choices in a heartbeat. Sometimes when you are younger, the thought of you growing may seem appealing to your parents, especially when you are small and make a lot of noise, mess, and require a lot of attention (kind of like Kim Kardashian). But, they quickly regret that when they see you no longer need them for both the little and big things in life. Below are some songs that are sure to get you in your feels as soon as you realize what your parents may be feeling when you start to go off and be independent.
Get Ready, Set, Don’t Go- Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus, is realizing that it’s time for his real-life and onscreen daughter, Miley, to “do what she’s gotta do” and “spread her wings”. As much as he understands that his daughter needs to be able to go on and accomplish her dreams and “hit that open road”, he is having a hard time giving her the green light. Ironically, many parents tell their kids “Get ready, set, go” as a starting line for games, but when it comes time to them going away it’s no longer okay. He tells her it’s alright, but hides the truth from her through the chorus. The chorus states “Get ready, set, don’t go”, and even though he is still telling her to get ready and go out and conquer the world he does not want her to go. The song was originally a solo sung by Billy Ray Cyrus, and also performed on a Hannah Montana episode where Miley’s character is trying to go to a performance without her dad, and he feels like she is too young. The song gained a lot of popularity as a duet between the father and daughter. As a duet, the lyrics become more of a conversation between Miley justifying her leaving, while Billy shares his insecurities of her growing up and moving on. Billy’s character both in the show and song, is just a dad who has the best intentions for his daughter, but at the same time it pains him to see her grow into her own person when he still sees her as his little girl that once depended on him.
You’re Going to Miss This- Trace Adkins
The daughter in the song is counting down the hours until she can be older and do things like drive a car, and once she’s married she wants to hurry and have children. Her father warns her to slow things down and not rush into things because she’s going to “miss this” and “wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast [because] these are some good times”. Here, as much as he notices his daughter is changing, he isn’t trying to stop her or time. Instead, he advises her to not wish to grow up too fast because life passes by and she’ll once regret and wish to go back in time. Trace Adkins sings the song as a soft ballad trying to remind whoever is listening to take the most out of each moment because if they don’t they’re going to miss all the little things from life. As glorious as growing up looks, it’s not all that it is cracked up to be. Once you are older there are more responsibilities and less time to be young and free.
The narrator tells his daughter that she’s his “little girl”. He will always see her as his little girl, even though she grew up to be a young woman. He encourages his daughter to go out to “chase her dreams” and to “take on this world”, and no matter what happens, she will always be his little girl. “My Little Girl” was also featured in McGraw’s movie Flicka, in which his daughter in the movie tries to prove to her father that she is worthy of running the family ranch one day, and although it is hard for him, he sees her accomplishing great things and achieving her goals.The song itself is a ballad, which reinforces the feeling of reminiscing the past, but the driving tempo shows the moving and hopefulness of time. Since he understands it’s it is inevitable for her to stay little, all he wants is for the listeners to understand that he wants her to accomplish great things in the world and that no matter what happens he will continue to be there for her and have the same loving view towards her.
In this song, the father is watching his daughter dancing at her wedding and starts to reminisce when she was young. He questions “how could that beautiful woman with you be the same freckle-faced kid that I once knew”. When the song was originally released, it was not very successful. Later, the music video was released and it went viral, allowing for the song to release The music video showcases a father singing the song to his daughter at her wedding was released, it went viral and the song became popular once again. The father states that he “loved her first” and that although he is going to give her away to her husband, it’s still hard for him to do so, because he has loved her since she was born and has been his little girl. Similarly to McGraw’s “My Little Girl”, Heartland is stating that their daughter will be their little girl regardless of how old she is and what she has accomplished.
She’s in Love With the Boy- Trisha Yearwood
Katie has a boyfriend but her daddy disapproves because he thinks “he ain’t worth a lick and when it comes to brains, he got the short end of the stick”. But Katie is head over heels for her boyfriend, and no matter what her dad or anyone else thinks “she’s gonna marry that boy someday”. When they get engaged, it throws her dad into a rage. As a dad it was hard for him to see Katie develop from a child to her being in high school coming home late and spending her time with her boyfriend. Her father has always disapproved of the boy as he isn’t the brightest but when he’s reminded that he once was that boy for his wife, and they turned out alright, he sees things slightly clearer. The upbeat and repetitive “she’s in love with the boy”, show Katie’s determination to follow her heart despite her parent’s wishes. Katie is no longer a child and is going to make decisions that make her happy, and her parents are just going to have to accept that.The mom understands that Katie needs to grow up and be allowed to date her boyfriend, so she tries to show her husband that he shouldn’t be worried.
Let Them Be Little- Billy Dean
Here, Billy Dean reminisces on a time when his child was very young. His child is slowly growing up and no longer a newborn, which causes him to realize that time is passing by because all of a sudden “you turn around and it’s time to let them go”. Although he spends the whole song insisting what he wants is for the kids to “be little” for a little longer, he is not against them growing up. All that is asked, is that time is slowed down a little bit, before they grow up in a blink of an eye. As opposed to “Get Ready, Set, Don’t Go”, Billy Dean’s song acknowledges that they will grow up and he is not against it, but all he requests is for time to slow down so he can enjoy his kids more.
As a child, all you want to do is grow up, drive a car, and not have to obey your parents’ rules. For today’s generation, kids have an urge to grow up quicker since they want to act and look like teenagers even though they’re still really young themselves. Although kids wish this, parents don’t always want that. Sometime’s they’ll say or do things to you as you grow up because they can’t bear the thought of you no longer being their little baby. Some may have a hard time understanding that it is time for you to find your own way, but all you can do is provide words of wisdom and encouragement and leave their own feelings aside. All that matters is that they are there for you, and you for them. But no matter how old you get, become your own person, or leave your home, you will always remain in your parent’s hearts and memories, and deep down your parents know and understand that… or they at least should! So next time you’re on the phone with them and telling them about your exciting adventures or encounters, remind yourself that it may still be hard for them to accept that you are no longer depending on them and are off doing great things on your own! Take the time to remind them of all that they did for you, and maybe recall memories of when you were younger. Not only will you both have a nice trip down memory lane, but you’ll remind your parents that they had some wonderful memories with you and you’ll always remember and love them regardless how grown up and far away from home you are!