for the matriarch in my life
mother's day and mother's birthday.
I keep forgetting to share my new spring playlist, so putting it here before I get into the meat of this week’s newsletter. Hopefully you dig it. Let me know your thoughts.
Now that we got that out of the way, I want to share two of my early memories of growing up with my mom.
My first memory is playing Barbie's in my room, and I had just gotten everyone to a concert. It was an opera on the beach, and the drawers of my dresser were the box seats where people including, Christie, Barbie, Teresa, and crew, were watching the concert. It was truthfully a vibe. Out of nowhere, my mom walked into my room and started picking the dolls up shouting “EARTHQUAKE!” Needless to say she pissed me off and I started crying and called my grandfather as my mom sat on the bed laughing.
Truthfully, I still roll my eyes at that because why?
My second vivid memory from my childhood is from my mom’s 35th birthday.
I had to be eight at the time, and I remember spending all day at the hair shop with her because she was getting a short cut with a tapered back. My older cousin was doing her hair, and because she gave us a family discount, she didn’t always prioritize our time and would go super slow—this was before StyleSeat and text message reminders. After what felt like forever in my young life, she finished, and my mom looked fly. We went home, got dressed, me in a red and white short set and jellies, her in a stylish dress and her favorite chunky black mule sling backs, and we met my family in Jack London Square at the Spaghetti Factory for dinner (what a time).
These two memories speak to just some of the highlights of what it has been like to grow up with my mom. She was goofy but also loving and ensured that I always had love and a community around me. On Sunday, not only are we celebrating Mother’s Day, but we are also celebrating her birthday—a decade and some change after my second memory.
One of my favorite things to do is celebrating my mom, because she is my girl. While she has held many titles throughout my life: sister, friend, wedding planner, matchmaker, travel agent, the position that she has excelled at is at mother. While at times she may have struggled at times, I never knew. She made sure that I had everything I needed and more, and was supported, loved, and cared for every day, even to this day.
Growing up, she always made sure that she was present for everything whether it be a dance recital, an award ceremony, a basketball game—even those I wasn’t coordinated for basketball (glasses and running no thanks), every game I cheered at in high school, and even any speaking engagement, or award ceremony. So much of who I am today is based on the love and values she has instilled in me, and I am so thankful and grateful that she was who I got as a mother.
Here are a few cute photos — one thing is clear, she enjoys changing her hair.
And while my mom has been such an amazing mother, I am thankful to have been mothered by a community of mothers. From each of them, I have learned something that I carry with me every day whether its the organization from Nana, independence my stepmom, hustle and humor from my Aunt Rose, or the importance of showing up from my cousin Lisa. I am just so thankful and excited to celebrate all the mothers in my life.
I did want to conclude that line by saying, “If you have a mama or love your mama put your hands up,” and I am not quite sure why. I sang it in my head like “Single Ladies,” which I guess is a good transition to something else…
Tina Knowles’ memoir, Matriarch. I would like to note that I was the first person to reserve this book on Libby, which made me smile and brag for whatever reason.
Now that I have gotten that out of the way, this was a great book. I had some apprehension initially while reading it, asking myself why I needed to read about Beyonce’s mom, but as I continued reading the book I couldn’t stop reading. It is on the longer side but covers so much. In the book, Tina highlights different things, including her childhood, raising her daughters, Matthew's wandering-ass eye, and more.
The theme prevalent throughout the book is that the title alludes to being the matriarch and how that looks in different periods: as a child and as a mother. I loved how she talked about the sacrifices she made for her children and even becoming a mother to others (Kelly, Angie).
Overall it was a great read and I suggest it whether you’re a Beyonce fan or not, but highly suggest it if you’re a Beyonce fan.
Here are a few things about the book that I consumed that I suggest as well:
Tina Knowles Knew Her Daughters Were Destined for Success, Elle
Beyoncé’s Mom Is Ready to Tell All—And Her Family’s Okay With It, TexasMonthly
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love this so muchhhhh
Awww Munchie, this is so beautiful, love you so much, can't wait till Mother's Day aka My Birthday :-).