Hot Mess Mom » Family, Stellar Parenting Advice » I am NOT raising music-douches
I am NOT raising music-douches
I love music. Any type of music. I love it. There is always music playing at my house. There is always dancing. Always.
When I was young and my family would take road trips, we all had our own 8-tracks or cassettes and we took turns. My dad was always first and always played either Kenny Rodgers, Englebert Humperdinck, or The Lettermen. My mom’s selections were Jim Croce, Diana Ross and Donna Summer. I varied between Michael Jackson, Prince, The Violent Femmes and The Go-Go’s. My sister played Garth Brooks.
We each outwardly hated and secretly enjoyed each other’s selections. Listening to my dad belt out “Put your head on my shoulder” made us cringe and laugh. Watching my dad listen to the Violent Femmes or Prince…. made us cringe even more and laugh even harder.
We have lost something with the invention of the iPod. While the technology is fantastic, I hate the solo nature of headphones. I hate it. There is a time for listening to music privately… but not always. 5 sets of headphones attached to 5 different iPods in the car or the house makes me a CRAZY PERSON… Plug it in! Let’s all enjoy (or hate) it together….
Either as a result of being raised in this house or from their genetics… my boys love music too. iTunes gift cards are always the “treat of choice” at Chez HMM. However, we have one rule… one very big and very serious rule.
For every song that THEY choose to put on their iPods, I choose a song to put on their iPods. While this results in large monthly iTunes bills for both music and extra storage… it’s totally and completely worth it.
Let me explain….
They want Ke$ha. They also get some Marshall Tucker Band
They want New Direction, they get The Beatles
- Maroon 5? Led Zepplin
- LMFAO? Yaz
- Black Eyed Peas~~ Beastie Boys
- Cee Lo Green ~~ The Black Keys
- Flo Rida ~~ The Doors
- Gym Class Heroes ~~ Dave Matthews
- Keri Hilson ~~ Harry Connick Jr
- Lady Gaga~~ Louis Armstrong
- Coldplay ~~ U2
Justin Beiber, Katy Perry, Pink, Kanye West, Eminem, Rihanna, Usher, Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift are downloaded with Rosemary Clooney, KISS, Eric Clapton, Three Dog Night, Counting Crows, Pearl Jam, Hootie and the Blowfish and Patsy Cline. And, of course, they have more New Orleans Jazz and Zydeco music than any child should have to listen to.
They are required to listen to their iPods on shuffle.
Currently my children’s favorite band is The Beastie Boys. A few months ago it was Cage the Elephant and a few months before that it was Dave Matthews. I cannot tell you how happy that makes me. When Number One asked me last night for a Guns N Roses t-shirt, I kissed him on the mouth and proceeded to order vintage tees from GNR, Nirvana, and The Beatles.
This morning while I was cleaning and listening Tab Benoit (Cajun blues) and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band; the boys turned up the speakers so they could hear it from the pool. They have friends over. The friends have never heard jazz. They certainly have never heard Cajun blues…. They have never heard anything that wasn’t played on the radio every 32 minutes. Until now.
Currently the speakers are outside and they are listening to Licensed to Ill. GIRLS is blaring. The five boys are dancing and laughing like fools. I’m watching through the window. It makes my heart happy. I do a lot of things wrong.. but I am NOT raising music-douches 
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Filed under: Family, Stellar Parenting Advice
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this may be the best thing I have ever read. I now have a new tradition at my house, since i control the itunes account!
yes! I have total control over the itunes account.. they are not allowed to get anything (not even free apps) without me
Music-douches make me sad…..and sadly people my age and younger tend to be just that….I am not quite as eclectic as you, it seems….but I’m ALWAYS open to new tunes
We just took our boys to see Michael Franti and Spearhead last night and all of us had a blast!!! We, also, refuse to raise musical douches!
I am like you my 13yr old son loves music all even the “old” stuff. I encourage him to listen all types of music.
LOVE THIS….
I heart you for this post… what a brilliant idea!!!! I’m inspired! xo
Love this post. When my little guy was 2 he threw tantrums until we turned on The Ramones. My daughter has also been known to sing along with the Runaways. I’m still waiting for my mother of the year award to arrive.
I LOVE this HMM! I used to quiz my kids on the heartbreaking story behind “Layla and Assorted Other Love Songs” and before that they routinely rocked out to Nirvana from their booster seats. That said, I’m not sure how I feel about your addition of Kiss– a poser rock band to those of us a bit older than you, and I must beg that you NEVER play Styxx for them. LOL. That is all.
omg.. they get Kiss (mostly BETH)… Styxx AND Kinks!!!
I like a big mix… And no one should have to go through life without roller skating to Mr. Roboto…. No one.
LOVE THIS POST!! Music, like all art, should not be censored!
When my son had colic I sat with him (screaming at glass shattering decibels) and methodically worked my way through iTunes. Anything he shut up for I bought, then made a cd, then put the cd on repeat for the next 4 months. To this day he loves the Boney M Christmas album, Tom Petty, Rage Against the Machine and Luciano Pavarotti. Go figure. My daughter is really into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse songs right now… she may grow up to be a music douche.
HMM, you are a rock star! This is a brilliant idea! My parents played a little bit of everything when we were growing up, and my grandparents played everything else, so my sister and I learned to love it all. I love that you are making this happen for your kids and their friends! Bravo!
Great idea!
What a great idea!! To MAKE them listen on shuffle! Brilliant! (I am still learning and my oldest is 24 and youngest is 15! – boys of course)
Such a great idea! We are definitely a music household as well always dancing, singing, playing the guitar or the drums. At 3 1/2 my daughter is already developing a love of ALL music. She is a fan of Gaga but loves music from Wicked, she get’s down to LMFAO but doesn’t mind Shakin It to some Eddie Money. It’s all a balancing act!
Hopefully I am on the right track!
This made me snort! Thankfully, none of my boys are (yet) music douches. Thing (who is not-quite-3) is VERY opinionated, and currently loves pretty much anything from 80′s rock-n-roll hair bands. Dramasaur and Stanky? They’ve been indoctrinated into the love of Beastie Boyz and Run DMC. DH is a music prude, but he’s getting there.
Thankfully, they have all finally realized that simply turning the music down and/or changing the station has absolutely NO EFFECT on my singing/dancing/seatbelt-gyrations. It’s progress.
Though I don’t know most of the bands your kids listen to, my wife does and plays them for our 2.5 year old. I have to counteract that with true classic rock. That’s what led me to starting my Rockin’ Friday feature on my own blog:
http://www.thedudeofthehouse.com/2012/03/rockin-friday-werewolves.html
Glad you found me. Great blog!
Love this! I too am a true lover of all genres of music and want to share that love with my girls.
I can’t stop sharing this!!!
My daughters (21 months) favs are bob marley, OAR, Citizen Cope, and of course Jimmy Buffett! I do try to turn the kids channel on at least once a day since I have such fond memories of them when I was little (yes I sing them off key as loud as I can and we both laugh) but I did not pick out my first CD until I was about 13 before that I had my parents music, Tom petty, sting, pat benitar, hootie and the blowfish, ect. I love that my parents raised me with good music, they also blessed me with the love of concerts! This of course has turned quiet pricey since my dad stopped paying for my tickets and I was always spoild with AMAZING seats! I plan on passing this to my daughter also, which I think will be easy since she was at a Citizen Cope/OAR concert a few weeks before she was born, boy did my tummy move that night!