I wanted to be Pat Benatar....I think she wants to be Natalie Maines

I'm a child of the '80s and thus grew up in the hey day of MTV. You know, when they actually showed music videos and the non-music shows were related to music (Remote Control 4EVER). So I logged more than my fair of time watching, acting out music videos and yes one of my favorites is "Love is a Battlefield."A few years ago I heard of a new summer camp for girls - Girls Rock! How freakin' kewl is that? One week learning the ins and outs of an instrument, writing music, and forming your own band? Hell yes! Can I be 10 again?

So when I received an email about a Girls Rock! movie, I was so all over it. Watch it. I'll wait for ya...

Yeah, now you want to be 10 again too, eh?

I have to admit that I cried like a baby watching the trailer.

While I grew up post-Title IX, it was also pre-Girl Power. I hung out with the boys during recess because I liked playing sports, I liked getting dirty and honestly kicking their butt (seriously, no matter how many times I would tackle them, they still thought they could take me). I rejected all things pink, hated wearing skirts, and fought the nail polish & make-up thing all through grammar school. I lived in a place and time where a girl needed to choose. Tomboy or girly girl. Skirts or jeans. To see girls today, especially my 4 1/2 daughter, float effortlessly between rugged grrrrl and pretty princess, well, it is pretty overwhelming for me. To see them rock out and find and USE their voice as seen in the trailer, you get a big pile of ooze that was me. Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, Heart, and Lita Ford were the rockers I wanted to be. Oh, yeah, and Leather Tuscadero.

My daughter is more interested in soccer and dance class (see, I didn't think you could balance those two in my day!) right now, but I'm pretty sure that by the time she is 9, she's gonna want to attend camp. She already does a good air guitar and air fiddle & banjo to the Dixie Chicks.

There is a Girls Rock! camp in Chicago, but doesn't seem to be affiliated with the Girls Rock! from the movie. But hey, we're in Chicago and we gotta rock with it. If your girl will be nine by the summer, check 'em out. They take girls on a sliding scale, so don't fret if your fave punk rock girl isn't flush with cash. If you are, you can donate to the cause.

H/T to Kim at Hormone Colored Days & Momformation for sending me the trailer link!

Technorati tags: Pat Benatar, Natalie Maines, rock & roll, guitar, Girls Rock!, movie, feminism