I love music and have for as long as I can remember.
One of my earliest memories is of falling asleep, sweaty because it was a hot day, on black vinyl seats in my mom's orange Duster car, listening to music. Seventies music. Good stuff... Captain & Tennille. Chicago. Boston. Styx. Kansas. Foreigner. Toto. The Doobie Brothers. Diana Ross. The Four Seasons.
And then came 80s music. More good stuff. Oh yeah, you know what I'm talking about... Duran, Duran. Eurythmics. Tears for Fears. Robert Palmer. INXS. Reo Speedwagon. A Flock of Seagulls. Queen. Yes. R.E.M.
And you can't forget these groups either. Cool and the Gang. KC and the Sunshine Band. The Bee Gees. Abba. (Oh, yes, I did listen to Abba. And I liked it, too!)
The only radio station I listen to, for the past several years now, is the local Christian station. It's not been a conscious choice to stop listening to mainstream music. But when we moved to the Dallas area in 1998, I just immediately found a great Christian radio station and pretty much kept the tuner set there. And I was afraid I'd really miss it when we moved back to this area, because I felt certain there wouldn't be a station to rival it, since it's a smaller locale. But we do have a great Christian station, and that's what I solely listen to now.
And then came kids. And the realization of what some of the lyrics I'd listened to as a kid really meant. Whoa! Risque stuff!
So I knew I didn't want my munchkins to listen to mainstream... for a while anyway. (This is just a preference of mine and not meant to indict anyone else who does listen to mainstream. Read on.)
Early this year, Clay got a new school bus driver, who tunes the radio to a local mainstream station. A station my sweet husband listens to regularly. And so the requests begin.
"Mom, can we listen to Electric? Huh? Can we? Can we? Huh? Huh? Huh?"
I could just beat that bus driver. Except for the fact that shortly after school began, he handed out Frisbees to all the students... from his church... for Awanas. Oh sweet niblets! I can't even judge the man!
I tried for a bit to just say no. But then they figured out that while mommy said no, daddy would say okay. And some very interesting discussions evolved.
Spencer asked me why I didn't like Electric. And I said I just like listening to music that praises God. So he asked Bruce if he was going to hell for listening to Electric. Yikes!
And so I'm taking my mother-in-law's advice: Pick your battles.
Music is not my battlefield. (Love is a battlefield, right? Pat Benatar, thank you very much!)
There will be more discussions to come, I'm sure. But that's a good thing.
Besides, I had to give a mild explanation for abortion to my then 5-year-old when Clay asked about a Casting Crowns song where the lyrics say, "United States of America, looks like another silent night, as we're sung to sleep by philosophies that save the trees and kill the children." (Lifesong album, "While You Were Sleeping")
And now I leave you with Spencer's favorite song. If you shut your eyes and just listen, it's not bad. I can do without the dancing nurses though. Or the lead singer with both ears pierced. And the Goth-looking guitarist/keyboardist. And the flashing lights that show skeletal images on the dancing bodies.
I did check the lyrics online. It's okay.
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4 comments:
That is so funny..Changing the radio station in the van is a constant thing the kids want to do...and I have noticed the older they get...the more they want to listen to mainstream music...James and I made the desicion to listen to christian music not long after Ian was born...and yes, I have faltered from my first desicion on this subject....It is one of those things, that I have had to explain to the kids, we can change listen to SOME of the songs they like...not all....because frankly some of them are outrageous..I love to listen to some hardcore ACDC when I am working out...So I am not one to talk...but I am trying....=) This is funny...Cade was singing...."Hey, Hey, you, you, I don't like your girlfriend"...and I thought...Hmmmm...Not sure that that is a good song for him to be singing....The sagas continue....
I love all kinds of music but am very careful about what we listen to in the car together.....there will be a time when I don't have that control....wait a minute...I won't???!!!
just kidding...you are absolutely correct...pick your battles and we pray alot!
Love ya~
Fran
I guess I am just a bad mom listening to you guys. I have always listened to 'my' music - with the exception of the really explicit songs of course. From what Davis comes home and tells me...the songs are no where near as bad as what the kids are learning there. Our approach is to let them listen but they know not to repeat the things and to take them literally. I feel like they need to know the bad stuff going on in order to stay away from it....but that's just me!
I like it all! I think that it is awesome to expose them to all types of music. Tariq loves Maroon 5, Mercy Me, Good Charolette, Sonicflood, Harry Connick Jr., Al Martino, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Deval Premal, and Enya. Straight from his mouth. His favorite bands. I must say, I think Mr. Spencer and I could jam out to that song. Good tunes. Once again, in stiches.
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