I have chosen pediatricians. I have survived the trial and error of playgroups and mom-dating. I have nursed and I have bottle fed. I have cloth diapered and disposable diapered. I have navigated early-speech intervention. I have begun the teaching of conflict-resolution to three kids prone to conflict. I have chosen schools and day care and they have all thrived.
I have successfully risen to most challenges of motherhood thus far.
Today I face my biggest challenge yet.
The mix tape.
(I know, they don’t even make tapes anymore. My kids don’t even know what a tape is. In reality this is a collection of MP3 files burned onto CD, but in my mind they will always be mix tapes. )
That’s right, I have come to the time during this parenting journey where it is incumbent upon me to introduce my child to music and I am terrified. All of a sudden, medical doctors and school principal choices seem like a piece of cake.
Don’t get me wrong,, this is not a formal introduction. My kids have listened to various types of music since they were in the womb. They all had CD players in their rooms before they had curtains. The after-dinner dance party is a common occurrence around here. And their exposure is not limited to Laurie Berkner and They Might Be Giants Kid CDs. They have heard it all (at least the radio edits). The are all music maniacs.
However, I have never presented them with collections that I have made specifically with them in mind. This year, for Christmas, the oldest will get some CDs for her new “boom box”. (Oh yeah, I still call it that too. Be careful or you may even catch me hoisting up on my shoulder now and then.)
However, I have never presented them with collections that I have made specifically with them in mind. This year, for Christmas, the oldest will get some CDs for her new “boom box”. (Oh yeah, I still call it that too. Be careful or you may even catch me hoisting up on my shoulder now and then.)
I have downloaded some sugary pre-teen pop into the iTunes library and I am prepared to mix it with some sugar of my own, like The Go Go’s. I will also include my own files of 1990s teen angst favorites, like Sinead, Shawn Colvin and The Cure. It would be easy to stop here. The problem is there is so much music I want her to love. There is Billy Joel and Bob Marley. I have Van Halen, Aerosmith and The Pretenders and Michael Franti and Squeeze. It is too early for the likes of Marshall (oh, I call him that-don’t judge) and Dr. Dre, but I know that overall this is my last chance to make a first impression and the stress is killing me!
There are some that are a sure thing, like 10,000 Maniacs, Norah Jones and Anna Nalick, because she likes “girl singers”. But there are others, like Eric Hutchinson’s happy, or Justin Timberlake’s dancey or Pat Green’s beer drinkey. There is Ray Charles wine and cigarettes, U2’s, well, U2ness and Pearl Jam’s sultry Grrrr that still makes my heart skip a beat-even if Eddie is old and frumpy now. This music has sustained me in uncertain times and I am afraid some of it might be too much too soon for this young girl. But what if I miss my window and she misses out?
She is an impressionable girl, still at an age when she thinks I know everything. I am passionate about music-all of it. I just hope I can pass that on. Even if it means I have to whittle down my “Oldest Mix Tape” list of 147 songs to just the 18 that will fit on one CD.
Parenting is hard. Especially the musical part.
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Your right, this isn't easy! I thought of another person, Marshall Crenshaw-Jack and Luke love that cd! It's totally kid proof too! No matter what though, she'll love the cd and of course, there is always next Christmas to make another!!:-)
If she is into "girl singers" I have a whole list for her…but to start off at her age don't forget Alicia Keys or Beyonce…Pink maybe, she has some kid friendly songs. I could go on but I'll leave it at that for now. Enjoy making the mix tape; I'm sure she will love it no matter what you put on it…:)
Can I have a mix tape for Christmat also?? Don't whittle it down, just make multiple tapes!!