Moms and Dads Weigh In: Who Controls What You Listen to in the Car
(Photo: spanishsnapper/Shutterstock)
By Iva Marie Palmer
Kids change your life, and most parents will agree itâs for the betterâuntil, of course, the question of car music comes into play. If music puts us in touch with our past selves, then kidsâ car music choices put us in touch with the grumpy parent we vowed to never becomeâthe one grumbling, âKids these daysâŠâ as we prepare a speech about AutoTune and its ills.
But everyone has their system for finding harmony when weâre on wheels. So, we asked some parents, who controls the music when you drive?
âMy 2-year-old decides... regardless of how many people are in the car. (Yikes!) She either refuses to allow anyone to listen to music or wants the CD of her preschool teachers singing blasted with preference to certain tracks. All members of the family oblige. Oh, and mommy is not allowed to sing out loud, only daddy.â Â
âSamantha Sugar, mother to a 2-year-old girl and a newborn son, and stepmom to two girls, Los Angeles, Calif.
âWhat we listen to depends on two factors. Is my kid crying? And if so, how loud is it?â
âBrian Rothe, father to a 1-year-old girl, Honolulu, Hawaii
âThe general rule in the car is whomever is driving has control over the stereo. There's been the philosophy in our house, dictated by me ;), that kids are savvy with the arts and do not really need 'kids' music in the traditional sense. Any music will do as long as it fits to your family values of what's acceptable. In general, I purposely stay away from children's music because it just dumbs down their understanding of what music can be. Â With pushing 'our' musical tastes on the children early on, we successfully never had to listen to any ridiculous child music. We've got plenty of 'silly' music when the kids are in need ... They Might Be Giants, Slim Gaillard, Zappa, Weird Al, Screaminâ Jay Hawkins, Primus, etc.â
âBret Figura, (musician) dad to 9-year-old, 7-year-old and 4-year-old boys, Mokena, Ill.
âMy 9-year-old sings. She sings about what she's doing, what she's seeing, and about nonsensical things. She is my radio.â
âEmmy Arce, mom to a 9-year-old girl, Los Angeles, Calif.
âMy son and I have an uneasy arrangement. He gets control on the way to our destination; I get it on the way home. It is uneasy because he often complains about my musicâmostly classic rock but sometimes classical if I'm feeling vindictive, the whole way home. I've had a bit of success turning him on to certain NPR programming though, mostly the storytelling shows. His choices are mostly pop and country, which is unfortunate.â
âPaul Eisenberg, dad to a 12-year-old boy, Steger, Ill.
âWe listen to The Jungle Book. Every. Day.â
âAkemi Phillips, mom to a 3-year-old boy, Los Angeles, Calif.
âME AND NO ONE ELSE EVER. Sometimes I'll play stuff for my son from a playlist I've crafted of âmovie music,â a.k.a. songs from movies he's seen. Sometimes I play stuff I think he'll like, or should like. Sometimes I just play what I like, because this is how he'll grow to appreciate good music⊠Also, he's 4. Once his appreciation/ability to demand increases with age, I'm sure I'll have to negotiate more. But even my husband defers to me on music. I am the Family DJ.â
âDinah Larsen McLean, mom to a 4-year-old boy, North Hollywood, Calif.
âMy 9-year-old controls the music with her phone. She will honor suggestions and requests if she is in a good mood.â
âAlison Murphy Clausing, mom to a 9-year-old girl and 7-year-old and 5-year-old boys, Streator, Ill.
