One of the many things that is very cool about having a six-year-old is that she is now getting interested into the music the wife and I like, and grew up with. This is a huge relief because I am very happy to be ditching “kiddie songs.” And I’ll take a stand on this one too; Kiddie Songs suck. There! Said it, and I’m not ashamed, and I’ll deal with the push back. Seriously, parents hate it, and kid eventually grow to hate it, so how can you call it good when at some point everyone hates it.
Just saying…
Now, the kid is getting into music, and we’re her guide. I have spent time sharing The Beatles with her, and she’s asked lots of questions. I had to explain to her that John was killed, and George died of cancer, so like in all life, she understands even musicians die, but we can still listen to the music they made. It has spurred a funny question anytime we listen to music she thinks is old, which is that she will ask us if the artist is dead, or if the band broke up.
Last night, the wife was sharing Dolly Parton’s greatest hits, and the conversation came up about how Dolly writes songs, and other people will sing them. “Like who?” the kid asked, and we played the Whitney Houston version of “I Will Always Love You.” Oh, and the kid really liked that, so we started playing other Whitney Houston songs.
And then the question came, “Is she still alive?” We told her the truth of how Whitney Houston died of a drug overdose, which I know doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to the kid, as she asked, “Why do people do things that hurt themselves?”
Ah…. And then I know, that just about all the music you love was made by people using a lot of drugs. You know, like you shouldn’t do cocaine, but it seemed to help out Fleetwood Mac. It’s a sticky conversation, and I know this will come up again as she starts finding music she likes. We are starting to find the gray areas in life that are hard to explain.
