Music Woes

Growing up, the radio was always under my parents' control. I distinctly remember driving from New Jersey to California (en route to our new home in Sacramento) and listening to the soundtrack from Les Miserable (Mom's choice) alternated with snip-its of any station that played CCR or Genesis my dad could get find good reception on.

Now that I'm driving two young children around, I realize my music "choices" are changing thanks to my back-seat companions.

I've got plenty of "toddler tunes" that I accrued during my years teaching. I've even made CDs of my favorites. But let's be honest--as fun as those songs may be, listening to Dr Jean or even Joe McDermott on constant loop will drive any adult crazy eventually. I'd like to be in touch with what current music sounds like, even if I decide that I hate it.

Now that Reese is a fluent and opinionated speaker, listening to the radio in the car is getting trickier. I know better than to tune into certain morning shows on our drive to school, and any station claiming to play "all the hits" is definitely too racy for a toddler who loves to ask "why?"

A few weeks ago while tuned into a station that supposedly plays a "mix" of todays hits and blah, blah, blah, insert decade here, Reese heard a recently popular song. The artist is singing about his desire to be lazy for a day (know which one I'm talking about?) and includes a lyric about having his hand in his pants (ala Al Bundy style) "Mommy, why does he have his hand in his pants?" was quickly followed by "What's a birthday suit?" I couldn't change the channel quickly enough.

Just another change that comes with parenthood--diminishing control of your own taste in music. So please don't judge when you see me rockin' the local radio station that spells magic with a j or see me glassy-eyed from the ten millionth round of Old McDonald. I cringe at the idea that Kidz Bop or Disney Radio might be in my near future. I think we'll be switching to Vivadi, Miles Davis, and books on tape soon.