Kids These Days

When my kids were younger, I tried to convince them that my taste in music and entertainment was the only way to go. For a while, it seemed to be working. My little boy actually used to dance to Phil Collins music. And my daughter seemed to enjoy watching sappy dramas with me. But now, that's all changed. No matter what, I cannot get my kids into listening to Phil Collins anymore. They don't even want any Credence Clearwater Revival. My little boy (who is really not little at all anymore) listens to--gasp--Taylor Swift. And my daughter listens to--well, whoever it is, I haven't even heard of them. Neither one watches much TV with me anymore. They now prefer shows like iCarly and other goofy teen stuff. (I feel obligated to mention at this point that my not-so-little boy is really into cooking shows right now and I do actually enjoy some of them myself.) So what happened to my kids?

Whenever I start to complain--in my mind, at least--about my kids not appreciating the same entertainment I enjoy, I think about how my own parents would view my current tastes. I grew up with music by Gene Autry, people on the Lawrence Welk show, and a bunch of guys that yodeled a lot. Seriously, has anyone besides my dad heard of Elton Britt? We faithfully watched Little House on the Prairie and The Wonderful World of Disney. I think my folks would be surprised that I watch so much sci-fi now. We watch a lot of superhero movies and Star Trek related shows. And with the exception of a few memorable songs I grew up with, most of the music on my iPod is adult contemporary and 80s stuff. I'm sure my parents would not enjoy very much of it.

So what is a parent to do? Well, pretty much all we can do is raise our kids with a decent set of values and hope that they make choices about entertainment that go with those values. The only other choice would be to raise your kids in a sterile bubble and try to cram your opinions down their throats. But that might not be very practical.

Besides, I've heard bubbles like that cost a fortune.

Music to my ears

I have always enjoyed piano music. Especially instrumentals, no singing. When I was a kid, we had a record by Frank Mills that was mostly just piano music. (If you don't know what a record is, ask someone over the age of 35.) One of my favorite songs on there was Music Box Dancer. Sometimes I just sat in my mother's rocking chair and just listened to the music.

Recently, it occurred to me that I have an iPod. Of course, the reason I wanted it was so I could listen to all my favorite songs whenever I wanted to. But would Frank Mills music be available for downloading? It was! So I downloaded all my favorites, including Music Box Dancer, Spanish Coffee, and other familiar tunes.

I am usually reluctant to admit what I have on my iPod (let's just say there's a lot of 80s pop music) but in this case, I am letting the world know how much I love piano music. But it's more than just loving piano. When I hear those songs, it's like going back in time to my childhood. Once again, I can sit in the rocking chair and just listen to Music Box Dancer. I can dance around to Spanish Coffee.

And who doesn't want to back to their childhood once in a while?