Little Ears/Big Ears

Many a year ago, when my oldest two children were starting to get, well, older, I began to switch the type of music we listened to.


I had never loved country music, but as I listened to the words and lyrics I really had to think twice about what was going into my precious, innocent girls' ears.


That was about 10 years ago and I have never looked back. We are fed on a steady diet of Disney music, LDS artists and country.


But lately I have been noticing a shift even in country music. It's more subtle as it's mixed in with banjos, fiddles and words about country roads and tractors.


But it really hit home the other day when Henry was singing the following words from a song currently on the radio:


"Country girls shake it for me girls, shake it for me girls, shake it for me."


And then in the McDonald's bathroom on Saturday he was singing a Tim McGraw song, that goes something like, "I wanna go crazy, wanna go crazy with you!"


So if we think that our 4 year olds aren't internalizing and apparently memorizing the words to the songs they hear, then we are living in a fantasy world.


And then I thought of my 9 year old son, and of course my older girls (Nora is still oblivious).

Do I want Charlie thinking girls should shake it? Or do I want my older girls thinking that boys want them to shake it? NO!!!


Not to mention the amount of songs that are slowly showing up talking about one night rodeo's and such.


So if country music is slowly failing me, what is left? Bach? Mozart? I've never been much of a classical music fan. I like good beats and fun songs. Does that mean we're left only with Disney and LDS/christian artists?


I think it does.


Am I unrealistic? Yes. And I like it that way. My kids are inundated daily with bad language, bad music, skimpy clothing and immoral behavior. So they are getting their dose of reality. I can't protect them from everything (which is a big argument from parents who say that anything goes).


But I don't have to invite it into my car or home. Our kids need a place where their minds, bodies and spirits can rest from the world.


And I'm not going to forbid their personal tastes in music. That only backfires on people. But I don't want to be the one introducing it to them, you know?


So it looks like I will be setting my radio dial to Radio Disney and classical stations and what we have on our Ipod.


I think this will be good for me too. I mean, I don't want to think about country girls shaking it either, now do I?