And Most Rappers Named "Lil" Something Aren't for "Lil" Listeners

"There is absolutely no reason to subject yourself to so much as a single note of 'children's music.'" Thus blogged Cliff Doerksen of the Chicago Reader, who notes that your kids are just as likely to embrace some of your favorite tunes just as easily as the G-rated dreck.

Though our iPods probably have very little in common — his has Ben Folds and Randy Newman — I agree with the guy, particularly when he says not to force-feed your kids music to make them "cool."

Granted, both Jackson and Sasha enjoy "Party in the USA," which is so catchy I hate myself every time I sing along to hit, and they still like stuff from their daycare classes like "Bop Till You Drop," but they have their own eclectic tastes. I mentioned not too long ago how Jackson really enjoys Weezer's "Troublemaker," and for a long time while he was 3, we had the old (Bon Scott-era) AC/DC song "Rocker" on virtual loop. When Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs began using Journey's "Any Way You Want It" in the trailer (despite it not appearing in the movie itself), that song went into heavy rotation.

Doerksen mentions the awkwardness that ensued when his kid announced how much she liked the Ben Folds song "Bastard" while at a crowded Trader Joe's, and my problem is that my iPod is full of R-rated (or worse) rap. I accidentally started playing part of the Miley-Biggie mashup (see the video above), and now Jackson wants to hear "'Party in the USA' that the man sings." Read more...