Susan was talking about sharing music with our kids. Unlike Susan's parents mine were very much into music although not necessarily what I listened to. My Mom and I shared a love of singing from early on and would often sing along to the radio when I was little but my tastes changed as I got older where hers did not. My Dad was big on jazz and classical but really enjoyed a wide range of music, especially after meeting my step-Mom, who was a hard core Led Zeppelin and Heart fan.
I definitely took a strong hand in my children's musical education. I sang Daydream Believer to the eldest as a baby (and Too Young to Fall in Love but ssh his father doesn't know that, lol). I gave him my love of Crue and Guns & Roses, I introduced him to The Ramones, the Sex Pistols and Pink Floyd. We share our love of Pink and Florence and the Machine. His first concert was the Green Day show I took him to for his birthday.
Interestingly as his own tastes have grown he's learned my tastes very well and is good at introducing me to bands I'd enjoy. When I liked Foster the People's single, he told me the whole album was worth a listen and he was right. He's also introduced me to bands I may never have paid attention to on my own.
Below are just a few favorites that he made me give a listen to:
The musical generation gap that existed between my me and my parents doesn't exist in the same way with my generation and our kids. Maybe because music was so important to us and the time we grew up in, we're more open to new music defining each era. Nostalgia is a strong pull and the mood to listen to older stuff strikes more often than not but there is plenty of newer music on my ipod as well. There's always something interesting to discover.
