Grown Up Music and Children

I recently read an article in GQ or Parenting magazine (honestly can't remember which) that talked about this subject a bit and it made me think ....

I have a wide ranging taste in music genres. I always have music playing; in the car, in the house and sometimes even on a walk around the neighborhood (Pandora Radio for the Blackberry truly is a godsend). Mostly I listen to rock 'n roll music or jazz. Sometimes I delve into the hip hop world or hard rock and even country music. My favorite bands include the likes of Butch Walker (former front man of The Marvelous Three), Wilco, Arcade Fire, Ryan Adams (not Brian), Miles Davis, Coltrane, Vida Blue, and even Fall Out Boy, etc.. and so on. These are my staples. These are the bands I can't live without.

That being said; I can't stand kids music and therefore I am not one of those parents that only plays kids music in the car when my kid (not my baby goat) is in the car. I have never had nor will I have a kids music CD playing when it is just me and my son. I think those things are reserved for learning time like when the kids are all together at day care or at preschool or while I am at work and my wife is trying to teach my son something new. Heck I don't know the words to more than half of the kids songs that my wife and son sing every now and then.

I don't see what is wrong with going with what you know and exposing your children to music that has some real substance. I am not saying that I would play the likes of Tupac and Biggy or Pantera while my son is in the backseat but I will play some Arcade Fire and Wilco and most other music. Why not? He learns something from these songs and he might one day develop a love for good music instead of being a top 40 junky.

Where am I going with this? Just last night for example, Ryker was dancing to my selection of music (which happened to be the latest Fall Out Boy album) in the living room and seeing this made me smile. I wasn't smiling because of his awesome dancing skills (he is definitely my child) but because he was truly enjoying the music. He found something in it that made him want to move his body and shake his head to. Thinking to myself that FOB isn't exactly dancing music I attempted to change it to something with more of a beat, namely A Tribe Called Quest circa 1993, but he wanted nothing to do with it. The hard rock style is more his speed and I won't take that away from him.

All of you parents out there who don't get to listen to anything but kidz bop 193 or songs for toddlers 10 think next time before you fire up the CD player or iPod and maybe play that favorite Beck album of yours at a level suitable for growing ear drums and watch their little hips start to shake and heads start to bob. I think you will find that both of you will be much happier with your selection and you might just be able to escape the monotony of singing your 1, 2, 3's and ABC's over and over and over and over again and again.

Don't get me wrong, learning is great and it has its place but try and expose your children to a little bit of what you like. Who knows you might find out you have something in common other than your genetic construct.