I Was a Cosmic Kid in Full Costume Dress.

In February 2014, my 4-year-old son turns to me and recites the following lyrics, "I'm beginning to lose sleep: one sheep, two sheep / Going cuckoo and cooky as Kool Keith" and then asks me who rhymes faster - Eminem or Macklemore?  But rewind a few years to June 2009, when my older son was 2 1/2, he and I adventured to the front row for Trombone Shorty's set at the Three Rivers Arts Festival.  Long story short, we got blown away by the volume to the point in which we needed to escape to the back.  Yes, I am overly excited that my wife and I are exposing our children to music.

A strong memory from my childhood was listening to my parents' records - both The Beatles 1963 albums: 'Please Please Me' and 'With the Beatles' as well as being taken to shows on Broadway and being introduced to 'Bye Bye Birdie'.  Did I understand at the time that The Beatles were introducing me to adult topics like heartbreak with a song like 'Misery' or that I was watching and listening to a satire on American society?  I definitely did not.  And now I ask myself, how different is it from today, when we let our boys listen to the Maroon 5/Wiz Khalifa song "Payphone" which also talks about a relationship that is no more, but with some additional inappropriate language or let them watch ‘PG’ films from 1992-1993.

I know every family must establish their own red line and I know that I certainly do not long for the days of Tipper Gore's Parents Music Resource Center and their "Parental Advisory" stickers, but I do not want to wrestle with what is age appropriate in terms of live and recorded music.  I want to be able to share any and all music.  Do I expect that they will want to accompany me to the next Moon Hooch show - probably not.     But according to Program for Early Parent Support, “There is no downside to bringing children and music together . . . .Whatever the setting - a quiet room at home with mom and dad, a large grassy field filled with people, or a busy classroom - music can enliven and enrich the lives of children and the people who care for them”.

I can only imagine the music that Derek Trucks was listening to growing up () or one day my boys forming a band, but until then my plan is continue to throw everything against the wall and see what sticks.  And of course, feel lucky every day that both of my boys can rap alongside Kurtis Blow’s ‘Basketball’ when it gets played on the way to school.  

Thanks for reading!