Inflicting our Music on our children

Driving home yesterday in the great Atlanta traffic, I landed on a station playing an Eagles song. I listened all the way to the end, which is odd since I've probably heard it a thousand times. As I stared at the bumper of the car in front of me, it occurred to me that the Eagles wasn't a band I found and liked, it was one of the ones my Dad listened to.

Being a parent now, it occurred to me that we are defining our children's' music taste by the stuff we make them listen to. Meghan received an iPod for her 12Th birthday last year and I was helping her pick out songs on iTunes. (No, I don't have an iPod, see this thread.) I tried to download some of the songs I knew she liked as well as a few from my past that I thought she would like. No such luck, nothing I suggested that wasn't released in the last year made it on the iPod.



Coincidentally, the comic strip Zits (see above) did a whole arc on the Dad's love for the Beatles and the son liking them as well. Of course, they blew it by ending with the 'elevator music' comment at the end. Ask any parent with teenagers or older and you'll find there are overlaps in the music they liked.

Looking at my musical tastes, I see some of my parent's influence. Most notable these days are the Eagles and Simon and Garfunkel. I still have the concert in central park CD in the auto-changer in the car. Looking at today's music, I like some things, but a lot of it is crap. Of course, a lot of what I grew up with was good and a lot was crap, so I try not to judge what my kids listen to. Of course, no Justin Timberlake. He just annoys the crap out of me.

I do sometimes sneak on a Led Zeppelin CD, or put the classic rock station on, or leave the 'big 80's weekend' on when driving the kids around. About 50% of the time they don't complain.