Music

My husband and I both have iPods. Our sons LOVE to listen to our iPods. Consequently, we make sure the music ON the iPods is squeaky clean. It would normally be anyway, but I had to remove one song that contained another word for a "donkey's behind" in it. Basically, the rule at our house is that if the kids can't watch or listen, neither can the adults. In our view, the standards apply to US as well as the kids.

My husband grew up listening to the usual stuff - the '80's heavy metal (he finally admitted to owning an Air Supply tape, though!). The most we have around our house now is Journey. He put that aside a long, long time ago - well before we had children. The kids don't know that dad ever was an AC/DC fan.

As our sons grow, I have already practiced hollering up the stairs, "TURN THAT MUSIC DOWN!!!!" D loves it LOUD - and he's not even 10 yet. If he's going to like it loud, I hope it's at least good.

Here's what our boys LOVE to listen to! Mostly because this is what we've encouraged them to listen to and what we listen to ourselves. We are teaching by example:

• Harry Connick, Jr.
• ABBA
• A LOT of Weird Al (but even then, we are selective - it's not all good.) Their current fave is "White and Nerdy".
• Journey
• Funky Town (we could get terrorists to confess all sorts of things by subjecting them to the extra long version)
• Not Your Mother's LDS Music 2 (Alex Boye' is a true ROCK STAR at our house! Watch for him in the Mo-Tab Choir!)
  
• Janice Kapp Perry "Unplugged" (who says LDS music is stuffy? Rock out to "The Hallow of Thy Hand" in a way you never thought possible - and you'll never hear at a missionary farewell!)
  
• Josh Groban
• Jonas Brothers (please don't go "Britney" on us, boys!)
• Pretty much anything sung by the High School Musical Cast (You should hear Mark and I annoy them by singing "Soaring" in hideous voices)

My neighbor had Christian Heavy Metal blaring out of her garage the other day. Our boys came home because they didn't like it. Pretty soon I get a phone call assuring me that it was "okay" music because it was "Christian". Ummm, I don't think Jesus would like it even IF it's about him. I don't think people screaming His name over and over to a heavy beat is showing reverence. She said she bought it when she had her foster son. The boy's mother was sending him nasty music so she bought this as an alternative. I wondered why she just didn't say, "We don't listen to that type of music at our house." She missed a great teaching opportunity for a child who hasn't had anyone to teach him about standards.

At our house, the music and the feeling you get from it is as important as the lyrics. We talk often about how certain music makes you "feel" and our boys are great at identifying the "yucky stuff".

I'm not naive enough to think our kids will choose ABBA over some of the more current bands forever. But, what I hope is that they have learned enough about music to at least make some good choices in the future - that they will enjoy music and not just stuff their brains with any garbage their friends tell them to.