A Discovery a la Last Post

On the topic of great music, I just found some. There is a production group called The Occidental Saloon out of good ol' Provo, Utah that produces music videos of up and coming artists. Let me clarify - Utah artists. Be ye not skeptical. There are some A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and talent peeps that write great music. Neon Trees, anyone?

So, this is Emily Brown. I'm amazed by her. Her voice to me is innocent and wise, playful and pensive. All at the same time. This song, Nocturne, is hauntingly beautiful. I'm in love and wishing for about the gazillionth time I could play the piano.

Those Pesky Consequences...

If I've learned anything from being a parent, it's that you frequently get bit in the be-hind. That does happen literally, but right now I'm speaking figuratively. Even the most innocent things you do and say will inevitably come and bite you. I'm thinking along the lines of letting the girls sleep in bed with me while Otterpop is out of town means an entire week of re-sleep training. Or giggling at a potty joke at home usually means embarrassment...nay, MORTIFICATION...when said child shouts to the world that same potty joke in the most inappropriate of places. 

I'm not especially a fan of "kid music". It kinda drives me nuts. Okay really drives me nuts. My sanity is hanging by a thread as it is, so why push it, right? I want my girls to cultivate an appreciation for music across all genres, which I feel means they need to be exposed to real music early on. Kid.z B.op doesn't count. I have my own feelings on that, mostly because I don't think a moderately edited song should receive a stamp of approval simply because a kid is singing it. In fact I think it makes it worse. There I go on tangent. Back to my point...

This has backfired on me more than once. The girls listening to adult music, that is. There was a time I heard Sweet Cheeks singing a very inappropriate Black Eyed Peas song while listening to my iPod. While I made it clear to her that song wasn't appropriate and turned it off she kept singing it for days. I could just imagine her doing it in public. I suppose it would serve me right. After all, I'm supposed to be the gate keeper.

Did I learn my lesson? A little. I am more vigilant than I was about the music in our home, but not as much as I ought to be. Consequently, as of late I am constantly being serenaded with somewhat less-than-appropriate songs by a 21/2 year old.

Okay, it's not so bad.  Full disclosure...I regularly put on "Single Ladies" for the girls. I think it's fun and basically harmless. But I hate La.dy Ga.ga. Even if her songs are catchy and not all are completely inappropriate, I think she is a horrible example to young girls. I'm not sure where Addie-Cakes picked up that song. Well, actually from her older sister. Who I think heard the Kid.z B.op version at the gym. Dang that Kid.z B.op.

I guess the consequence of children listening to adult music is children singing adult music. Yet I have not one bit of remorse. There is a lot of good music out there, and I want to teach them to choose good music as they grow up. Maybe I do need to be more careful about what they listen to. And nipping it in the bud rather than videoing it because it's funny. What can I say? It's my punishment.



 P.S. There are a few exceptions to the awful kid music. When Addie-Cakes was born my former boss gave me a kid music CD Barenaked Ladies wrote and produced, which is really good. The Curious George soundtrack by Jack Johnson is great, too. Who are we kidding, though? I would bet money those albums were inspired by their very own battle with kid-induced insanity. Thankfully they had the talent to do something about it and helped talk parents everywhere off the proverbial ledge.