Sunday, August 14, 2011

The torture begins

Well, one might say the torture began when my daughter was a toddler, when I started playing "Toddler Favorites" on the CD player for her. Listening to "Wheels on the Bus" and similar ditties can make a mom a little nutso. But still, I have mostly myself to blame for that. You see, I wanted to to indoctrinate my child into the culture, figuring that when she was older, she'd at least be familiar with the tunes and could sing along when necessary (in preschool, or around a Girl Scout campfire or something).

Fast forward to a few years later. My daughter has been pretty good about accepting my music, even liking it on occasion. She recently declared Paavoharju's "Kevätrumpu" her favorite song, and can recognize Sigur Rós when I play their music. She has patiently sat through many hours of the ancestral drone sounds of Natural Snow Buildings, and rarely complains when I play "Bride of the Spirits" by TwinSisterMoon nearly every single day.

But I knew the day would come when she would begin to have her own musical tastes that would differ from my own. A recent trip to visit her cousins resulted in her talking about Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift. Then she began singing this one sing over and over again---not the whole song, just the chorus---and she sung the words wrong. I knew it couldn't be "Hey there Mister, hanging on a blister on the radio on the radio..." For better or worse, my husband knew she was trying to sing Train's "Hey Soul Sister" so I looked it up for her and played it so she could read the lyrics. Now she sings it correctly, but still...I don't like this song. My kid likes a song I dislike. She sings a song I dislike.

What's a poor mom to do?