My wife's cousin's kids were at my place and I was trying to find an activity to keep them occupied while the adults did grown up stuff. They asked to play the dancing game on the Xbox. I plopped in the disc for Dance Central and gave a refresher on how the Kinect works.As the girls were picking out a song to boogie to I recommened playing "Poker Face" as it's one of the easiest songs to dance to. The eldest girl told me they were not allowed to listen to Lady Gaga, so she chose a track from the Black Eyed Peas.
So her paternal figures weren't ok with Lady Gaga, but the Black Eyed Peas were ok? Granted I know little of the Madonna clone, but I never found anything offensive about her music, other than it sucks. Then again I never really listened to the lyrics as I don't hate myself.
I started to think about what Kelly and I will and won't allow when my child becomes of an impressionable age. My parents were against having any kind of modern music in their home for a variety of reasons, most of which I rebelled against as I found most of their reasoning to be ridiculous. Here they were making sure I never owned a Metallica album, but I could sing along with Johnny Cash's "Cocaine Blues"
I really don't care for pop music, but thanks to Disney and the like most girls find that tween music to be the pinnacle of the art. God help me. Still I can handle most of that crap, but if the Black Eyed Peas are played in my home....
"I don't like Los Angeles. The people are awful and terribly shallow, and everybody wants to be famous but nobody wants to play the game. I'm from New York. I will kill to get what I need." - Lady Gaga
3 comments:
"Poke her face" vs "My humps, my humps, my lovely lady lumps."
I wouldn't let children listen to either.
But when I was a child, I don't think there was ever a time my parents restricted what I listened to. Which probably explains a lot about why I'm so effed up today. I grew up on Diamond Dogs because well, my dad was rocking out to it.
Not of the idea of kids listening to either but think Lady Gaga seems a better role model - she presents herself as an artist rather than a sex object and has an opinion and uses her voice to try to do stuff and encourages her fans to be themselves.
But having said all that I just did not know what these songs were about when I was a kid. So merrily sang along with some songs that were explicit without knowing it or thinking in those ways.
So I think there is a limit to the censorship required.
I have found that what you censor will be totally in tune with how your child reacts to certain things. If your kid turns out to be a someone who takes music to literally and acts out the lyrics... obviously you are going to censor a bit more.
Parenting is a crap shoot. You just do what you think is best and hope it all turns out okay. My biggest piece of advice... ignore advice. :-)
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