🎶 do do do do do do 🎶 do do do do do do do do do do 🎶

Just a conversation I had with my 14-year old son this week:

Me: “Did you put clean bed sheets on your bed last weekend?”

Son: “I think so…”

Me: “I think not because there’s no bed sheets from you in the laundry basket”

Son: “I did it the week before!”

Me: “I think not, it’s been 4 weeks since I saw bed sheets from you in the laundry. I want you to put clean bed sheets on your bed tonight”

Son: *roles his eyes and sighs* “You know that magic sometimes happens…The fairy (read: mum) sometimes does it for me and I was only waiting for magic to happen”

Me: “I hate to break the news, but the fairy resigned. She’s is done with cleaning out your bedroom and she won’t do it anymore”

Son: “Is that what the fairy told you?? That’s a shame…”

Everyone raising teenagers will probably recognise conversations like this… And even if you don’t have children, you may remember how you were as a teenager… at least I remember it clearly! Things have changed so much in the past decades, but teenagers are still the same.

These are just everyday situations. Life with teenagers is challenging, but it also brings an awful lot of fun! Speaking of challenges, try keeping the house tidy when you have teenagers… Those of you who tried it, may have ended up like me. I gave up seeing it as a challenge, because it’s simply a mission impossible. I just clean and tidy the house and see it as a weekly returning chore, keeping things limited by avoiding the children’s bedroom…I simply close their bedroom doors so I don’t see their messy bedrooms anymore. With some luck I get to enjoy all the work for a couple of hours…until one of the children gets home from school. When they get home, it only takes a couple of minutes before the house looks like a bomb has exploded. In no time there will be a trace starting at the back door where you will find shoes, halfway into the living room there will be a sports bag, a little further into the living room you’ll find a school bag. School books, paper and pens on the dinner table, a coat on the floor in the hall way, socks half way upstairs, and more socks and a towel in front of the bathroom. I have to admit that I never have to search anymore to know where the children are…all I have to do is follow the trace. 😉

Another challenge is to get teenagers do house chores… Words like “cleaning”, “dish washer”, “tidy”, “laundry” or sentences starting with “Can you please…” or “I would like you to…” immediately cause something that looks like an allergic reaction… Their eyes will start to roll, followed by big sighs…faces turning red…there’ll be an instant urge for fresh air or even a need for a shower or visit to the bathroom… They’re even putting their fingers in their ears as if loud noise is making their ears hurt….even if I just whisper…

Overtime things are getting better though. Of course the children will never admit that it feels good to have a clean and tidy bedroom and they will never admit that cleaning and tidying can be fun with some loud music on. And yes, they will always complain, but at least they’re doing the chores we tell them to do and doing it all their own way. One thing for sure…our negotiating skills have improved and are still improving!

Those who’ve been reading my blogs will probably wonder what this has to do with Robb Murphy’s music… Well…nothing… This is just another day in my life… except for one little thing…

This song…

Headstrong

Whenever things get a little too much, I simply sing:

“Relax cut yourself a break mate, your mind is a fragile thing
Brain waves crave a little rest bite and skin needs sunlight

do do do do do do
do do do do do do do do do do

You haven’t really lived
You haven’t really lived ‘til you’re far from
The strongest and the wise
The hopeful and the few that lay between

You haven’t really lived
You haven’t really lived ‘til you’re far from
The strongest and the wise
The hopeful and the few that lay between
I need my headstrong
I need my headstrong”

As for the music, things have been crazy busy behind the scenes. We’re still in the middle of promoting the single ‘Sleep Tonight’. A couple of weeks ago a release event took place at 101 Donegall St. in Belfast along with the Ulster String Quartet in support to raise awareness of mental health through video and song. The support was provided by Randall Stephens Hall and Brigid O’Neill. See pictures below:

Robb also performed a stripped back version of Sleep Tonight on The Arts Show on BBC Radio Ulster. Click on the picture below to listen:

In case you’ve missed it…
You can buy the single on Bandcamp and get ‘Bound For Your Arms’ (Sessions In The House Recording) for free. That’s over 10 minutes of music for £ 1,– with all proceeds going to The Samaritans Belfast.

Next to this Robb is working on new songs, of which one was shared a few weeks ago as a taster. You can listen to it here:

Want to stay updated about all things happening regarding Robb Murphy’s music? Follow him on social media and keep an eye out on his website:

https://www.robbmurphy.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheRobbMurphy/
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