Norah Harper and I started a mutual playlist on Spotify a while back, and it’s turned into one of my favorite little bonding things. I love when I notice she’s dumped a bunch of new songs on it (and sometimes deleted half of them too 😂). It’s this quiet, creative way for her to share pieces of herself with me, no pressure, no judgment, just music between us.

Sometimes I cringe at a lyric or two, but for the most part… I get her. Music feels so important at her age. It’s how she’s starting to think more deeply about life, emotions, and who she is. I’m smart enough to know she doesn’t share everything with me, but I hope she always knows she can. I want her to feel like she can talk to me about whatever’s on her mind, big or small.

What I love most about Norah is that she truly doesn’t care what everyone else is doing. She’s got this “Everybody has those, I want something different” mindset that I absolutely adore. She’s not chasing trends, comparing sneakers, or lugging around a water bottle the size of her head. (Honestly, I’m guiltier of that than she is 🤣.) She’s her own little person, a deep thinker who just quietly moves to the beat of her own drum.

If you have preteens, I highly recommend making a shared playlist with them. It’s such a fun, easy way to connect and start conversations about feelings, life, and everything in between. At this age, when they’re naturally starting to pull away, anything that keeps communication open is gold.

Sometimes music says what words can’t, and I’m so grateful we get to share that together. 💛