This Musician's “Slow Down” Music Video Will Make Every Parent Cry

Every morning, I pour myself a cup a coffee, I make myself a bowl of cereal — or a Pop Tart — I sit down on my couch, and I scroll through Facebook. (I mean, is there anything else one should do before consuming caffeine?) Most mornings my feed is full of "the usual" suspects: funny memes; pics of cute kids and cats; and a smattering of articles about parenting, mental health, and/or Game of Thrones. But today I stopped on one: a link shared by a dear friend with the words "Cant. Stop. Sniffling." Why? Because the link was to Nichole Nordeman's “Slow Down” music video, and the song is about parenting, raising children, and watching our kiddos grow up way too fast.

(Ugh. My eyes are burning just thinking about it!)

Nichole Nordeman is a contemporary Christian singer and songwriter from Colorado. Nordeman has seven albums, and her first — Wide Eyed — was released in 1998. But it is "Slow Down," off of her latest album The Unmaking, that has everyone talking. Why? Because its lyrics are highly relatable and its message is universal — it something each and every parent feels and understands. Lyrics like this:

Had to crawl before you walked / Before you ran / Before I knew it / You were trying to free your fingers from my hand/ ‘Cause you could do it on your own now

And this:

Here’s to you / Every missing tooth / Every bedtime story / Here’s to Barbie cars/ Light saber wars / Sleeping in on Sunday...Please don’t roll your eyes at me / I know I’m embarrassing / But someday you’ll understand / You’ll hold a little hand / Ask them if they can

And add to these lyrics shots of babies crawling, toddlers walking, and children skipping stones, scaling hills, and climbing trees and — well — cue the water works.

Don't believe me? I challenge you to watch this video and not shed a tear, or – at the very least — a sniffle. (Go ahead. I'll wait.)

Did you make it? OK, OK, maybe you did — and I'm just overly emotional — but tears or no tears, this song is a beautiful reminder of life's firsts, life's lasts, and how valuable each and every minute truly is.