“Alright, everyone. Seriously? I said no more videos. Step away from the screen.”
I marched over to the couch, where my two boys were glued to the iPad, their heads bent low, eyes fixated on the glowing display. As I reached out to take it from them, my eldest quickly pulled back, looking guilty. It wasn’t PBS Kids or any of those educational apps I usually allowed; it was Pandora.
“I just wanted to see who’s singing, Mom,” he said, sheepishly.
“Oh,” I thought, feeling my earlier annoyance fade. I’ve always been passionate about music, and here was evidence that I might be successfully instilling that love in my kids. I tried to hold onto my indignation. “But I still think that’s enough iPad time.”
“Can I use your phone then?” he asked, eyes bright.
“For what?”
“To make a video.”
“But I’m low on memory, and I need it for important stuff.”
“Just one more, I promise.”
Well, that gave me the perfect excuse to post something clever on social media about raising a future music aficionado. “Fine, go for it.”
As I tried to reclaim the iPad from my toddler, who was using it as a chew toy, I thought about how much time had passed. Six minutes later, my eldest came back, and we were both a bit frazzled. “Want to see it?” he asked, grinning.
“Sure, show me your masterpiece.” I sipped on the toddler’s apple juice as we moved to a cooler spot by the air conditioner.
On the screen appeared blue digital numbers. “Is this a clock?” I asked, confused.
“No, Mom! It’s the radio!” His excitement was infectious.
“You filmed the clock on the radio?” I chuckled. “No wonder my phone is so slow.”
“But listen, Mom.”
I turned the volume up and stepped away from the air conditioner’s roar. A bass line pulsed through the air. “It’s our song!” he beamed.
In that moment, I realized that this was as close as my kids would come to the nostalgic experiences I had growing up—lying on the floor with records spinning, waiting eagerly by the radio to capture their favorite tunes. They might never understand the joy of liner notes, and that thought hit me hard.
Accepting that reality, I led my son back to the living room and the now-snack-stained iPad. I knelt on the floor, brushing off crumbs from the couch. “New family rule,” I announced, “if you’re listening to music instead of watching videos, you can use the iPad without asking.”
I grabbed the iPad, unlocked it, and said, “Let’s find out who’s singing, buddy. It sounds like a band I used to love, and it is! It’s They Might Be Giants. I haven’t heard them in ages! They had this song ‘Particle Man’ that your uncle adored.”
“No, Mom, you’re wrong,” he said, shaking his head.
As we listened to grown men croon about strange topics, I asserted, “I’m sure it’s They Might Be Giants. It says so right…” He pointed at the album art.
“No, Mom. You’re mistaken. Mickey Mouse is singing,” he insisted. This coming from a child who thinks it’s okay to jam to lyrics like “Bang bang all over you, I’ll let you have it.” While I look forward to helping him explore more appropriate music in the future, I can’t help but appreciate the journey ahead.
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In summary, while I initially hesitated to let my kids use the iPad freely, I’ve come to see the benefits of allowing them to explore music. It fosters creativity and allows for moments of joy and connection through shared musical experiences.
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