But what am I saying. We have a voice of experience on this board. Dr. Dad? How do you feel about the intersection of Al's polkas with the tender young ears that are under your guidance?
*shifting in his chair*
Well, first of all, for those who don't know, my kiddoes include a son age 12, and two daughters ages 8 and 7 [I've also got an almost-16-year-old daughter who, I'm afraid, would sooner listen to 24 hours of Lawrence Welk and Yanni than Al, I'm afraid
... and you should HEAR the "music" (using the term loosely) that comes out of
her room!!] These three however are true Al fans -- just check this out!
Most of the time I have very little concern about what AL songs they listen to. I mean, compared to Eminem and most rap artists, Al is incredibly benign [another reason I admire the man]. Anyway, they don't listen to much to the polkas, so it's not much of a concern. If they did hear, say, the "Closer" part of "The Alternative Polka", they probably laugh at the sound effects, and not even understand it's actually a BLEEP! Also, to a 7 or 8 [or even 12, to a degree] year old, hearing the words "Do me, baby" or "My sweet cherry pie" means nothing to them [or at least it means NOT what it means to us].
The PG-13 jokes ["self-service pumps"; "gets to keep the tip"; "if I could make love to a bottle"] tend also to go right over their head -- they just think it's more funny lyrics. Now, I will say, a
very few songs like parts of "Melanie" ["I saw her in the shower reaching for some soap"], of "Jerry Springer" ["the show/With the hermaphrodite, the slut, and the crack ho"] and of "Good Old Days" ["I'll never forget the day I smashed in his head"] I don't let the younger ones listen to. But my 12-year-old thinks they're a hoot -- because he understands
it's all a joke [the younger ones though might not]. But even the younger ones get the joke in other songs, like "One More Minute" ... "he's really mad at that lady" they say, laughing and knowing Al wouldn't
really want to "dive into a swimming pool filled with double edged razor blades".
The bottom line is this. You need to
know your kids, and to be sensitive to thinking about what they might misunderstand. I'm blessed with good happy well-rounded kids who like a good gag like anyone else. But they also know what's right and what's wrong. It's like when they laugh when someone farts on TV. They know it's inappropriate, and that
they'd get into trouble if they did it for real -- but, when it's all said and done, a well-timed fart CAN be pretty funny. There are limits, of course [I don't even let the 12 year old watch, say, "South Park"], but in general, your best bet is to be with your kids as often as you can. Know what they like, teach them what's right, and they'll handle the rest.
That's why I tolerate some of what my eldest listens to -- I know she's listening to it simply for the enjoyment of the music and
not because the lyrics are "telling her to be evil". I don't fear she's going to get
corrupted by the music she hears, because I've laid a good foundation in her from the start. Now, that's not to say I don't put my 27 cents in about it now and then, but we know where we stand, and we respect each other and our opinions.
Heck, I remember when my younger brother in the late seventies told my fairly conservative father he really wanted a copy of a new song out on 45 called "You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate!! He nearly had a heart attack that his 10 year old would want a song with a "terrible" title like that! I told him, I'd heard the song on the radio before, and it wasn't as bad as the title made it out to be. He listened to it, and agreed it seemed innocuous enough. In fact, a favorite memory of have of my dad [and yes, he's still with us yet] is him mocking the song in front of my brother, singing "I believe in MIR-KLES!!" [if you've heard the song, you know why that's sounds funny ...].
Okay, I've taken up far too much cyberspace already, so I'll just end it here. Let's hear from any other parental units, and I know we got others! Patti? Vikki? Ali? Give a shout-out, y'all!!
Dr. Dad / Jim
