March 9, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I’ve told Tara that she’s not allowed to date until she’s 25 years old, but that hasn’t stopped her from starting a collection of boyfriends at the ripe age of six. Every time I turn around, it seems she’s declaring how cute someone is, and how she’s in love with so-and-so.
So, a couple nights ago, when we had about 15 minutes to kill before dinner, I suggested she make a list of all her boyfriends. It took her two sides of a sheet of paper.
Side One
Here’s what it says, in case you couldn’t tell:
1. Jason Dolly, Actor (correct spelling: Jason Dolley)
2. Jake T. Austin | Actor (yes, she used a vertical pipe as a separator)
3. Harry Potter | character
4. Shia Labeouf, actor
And then she flipped the page over, skipped #5, and listed a few more.
Side Two
6. Simon Cowell, Judge
7. Joe, Kevin, Nick Jonas Brothers
Methinks I’m going to have my hands full in about 8-10 years.
December 26, 2007 at 2:09 pm
My son, Sean, just turned 10 and is becoming as big a music fan as I’ve been since about the age of 12. Up until recently, Sean has mainly followed Dad’s musical tastes: He loves U2 and has even been to one of their concerts; he listens to Coldplay; and he’s taken a liking to some of the CDs on my shelf like Snow Patrol and Keane.
All of that is fine from a fatherly perspective because I know the music he’s listening to, and with only a couple exceptions, don’t mind his young ears hearing these lyrics.
For Christmas, he put several CDs on his list from artists that I know nothing, or almost nothing about: Nickelback, The Bravery, and even Blake Lewis (the kid from American Idol).
That’s the first sign I’m getting old: When my kids start listening to bands/artists I don’t know. A week or so ago, Sean asked me if Lupe Fiasco’s real name was Lupe Fiasco or that was a fake name? I had to confess I’d never heard of Lupe Fiasco. The shame.
Then comes the lyrics issue. Do I worry about what these singers are saying in their songs? Of course I do!
That’s the second sign I’m getting old: When I worry about what my kids are hearing in the music they listen to. Should I listen to every song first to make sure it’s acceptable?
After thinking about, I decided to go ahead and buy some of these CDs even though I don’t know the artist and don’t know what they’re singing about. Here’s why:
- It’s not realistic to think I can listen to every song my son wants to listen to before he does, and approve or disapprove it. Who has time for that?
- As he gets older, and as kids grow up faster than they did when I was young, he’s going to be exposed to a lot more in the schoolyard, at his friends’ houses, etc., and I have to accept that’s just part of growing up.
- Most importantly, he’s a Good Kid and I have to trust the job we did as parents and trust him to adjust and mature in an appropriate way as he experiences new things.
But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m getting old, does it? 
July 8, 2004 at 10:16 pm
When you have kids, and while the kids are young, you spend a lot of time wondering what they’ll be like as they get older. And you spend a lot of time hoping that they share what you consider to be your own best traits.
For me, this was especially true with Sean. My first child. My son. Mini-me. I’ve always hoped he’d turn out just like me and have the same personality traits that I like in myself. One of those is that I’m a neat-freak. I like things to be clean — the floors, the carpets, bedrooms, bathrooms … hell, the whole damn house! I like stuff to be clean and neat.
I realized fairly early on that Sean hasn’t (yet) developed my interest in having things neat and clean. He shows no interest in keeping his room clean and organized, for example. Toys are tossed anywhere. Same with shoes, clothes (dirty or clean), and just about everything. Yes, I know he’s only six. But I think I was keeping my room nice and clean by that age.
I’m not at all disappointed that he doesn’t share this trait, only surprised. You assume your son will be just like you. I love, appreciate and respect that he’s his own unique person. I’m just surprised this one thing didn’t get passed down his way.
On the bright side, it appears it may have been passed down to Tara. She loves to help clean up toys. She started helping me load and unload dishes as soon as she learned what a dishwasher was. And lately, she’s been telling Cari in the morning that she needs to take a shower! Funny girl. Sure, her room’s a mess at the moment, but if you asked her to clean it up, she’d do it and she’d like it. At least someone got one of my best traits.
June 17, 2004 at 9:35 pm
I’ll elaborate on this at a later date perhaps, but just for the record: It’s amazing to me how utterly different two children from the same parents can be.
