Pop Singer's Song for Her Kids Goes Viral

The story behind Nichole Nordeman's tear-jerking video.

ByABC News
May 4, 2016, 10:03 AM

— -- It's a feeling every mother knows all too well. The one that their kids are growing up way too fast.

The sentiment is one Christian singer-songwriter Nichole Nordeman also knows well. Her own kids are 7 and 12. The song was written for her son's fifth-grade graduation.

"I wasn't even sure I wanted to record it," she told ABC News.

But the reaction -- more than 13 million views since it was released Friday -- has been overwhelmingly positive. "Anytime something connects on that level," Nordeman said, "you're stating something universal."

She said that while there's beauty and joy in every season of her children's lives, she recalls when they were "teeny tiny" as some of the most special. "The newborn age, it feels never ending. You wonder when they will sleep through the night, when you will have a life again. I wish I hadn't wanted to rush through those moments."

Her advice is to "be hyper present" for each moment. "Be aware that it goes by so quickly. When my 12-year-old kisses me -- which is rare -- I savor those moments,” she said.

Nordeman said she has been touched by the comments being made on her Facebook page about the video.

"I've loved every ‘stage,’ every moment I had with my beautiful girls and wanted time to slow down and actually stop,” one wrote. “Now I'm going through it with my grandchildren. Hold onto to each minute. Put the cell phone down, turn off the tv, put limits on the iPad and video games, shut off the computer and forget about the 'to do' lists, and stop signing your kids up with so many activities thinking it's for their good. Just be with them. Time has a way of passing us by. We're left with memories. Create beautiful ones.”

Wrote another: "Oh! My goodness! The memories, the tears! So true how the time flies. My heart is aching yet bursting with joy at the same time. I am reminded what a privilege it is to be a parent and to watch our children grow into each stage of their lives. Oh how I miss each stage.”

It's a sentiment Nordeman understands. "There's a little bit on inevitable grief at every goodbye at the passing of every stage,” she said.