I'm not quite sure yet, but I probably made the biggest parenting mistake ever.
I thought it would be fun to buy some songs off iTunes of my daughter’s favorite Playhouse Disney shows to be played in the car on occasion when NPR does some boring story about melting glaciers and drowning tigers in Las Vegas, Iraq.
I had no idea I was opening Pandora’s box that would ultimately release an angry demon that spits fire and ash when the DJ (me) isn’t spinning the correct tune and releases shrills of fury when I don’t clap along with the song (I SAID CLAP!!... CLAP NOW HUMAN or feel all the wrath which is I....*hiss*..!!)
That’s not even the worse of it -- now I have these songs stuck in my head all day long (Hot Diggity Dog! All aboard the Choo-choo train! Get on the bus!!….But, but... I can’t get on the bus..I don't know where it is!?)
Why do they haunt me during normal business hours?! Oh yeah, they have simple tunes and catchy lyrics (kind of like Debbie Gibson songs.)
I blame you Debbie Gibson!
On the upside it is pretty adorable seeing my daughter (nearing 2) trying to sing a song. She sounds kind of like that William Hung guy – except she’s much cuter and has much better pronunciation and dexterity. She even does some choreography in her car seat - guess who taught her how to do “Jazz hands" and Nomi's X-arms?
I now wonder if I’ll ever get control of the car radio again. I long for the days of listening to NPR --- people complaining or heartfelt stories about some poor guy with no arms who learns how to play the fiddle.
Life was so much happier then.
Hey fiddler! Play "Fruit Salad" and "Hot Potato" for me, O.K.?
Luckily Thing 1 hasn't made much of a distinction between his music and mine, so he doesn't tend to notic when Dan Zanes morphs into The Shins.
ReplyDeleteAs for the songs stuck in the head. I've been singing that damn Wonder Pets song for 3 months now. I get it, teamwork is going to work.
When the kid music leads to fantasies about Laurie Berkner, turn it off.
ReplyDeleteUm, not that I fantasize about Laurie Berkner...
I wonder if I'll ever get control of the car steering wheel again? (just kidding of course I don't let the baby drive...alone!)
ReplyDeleteSinging I can't wait for that when words like "sunshine" sound like "shoesheen"
Bwahahahaha!!! Some day you'll be in your car, bopping along to the Wiggles or some such and you'll realize she's not even in there with you. It's horrifying!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. I thought that having kids songs in the car would keep him quiet. Boy was I wrong!! Glad I'm not alone!
ReplyDeleteOMG, that reminds me of the year that I drove my 9th grader to school every morning, with the 2 and 3 yr olds in the back. We all listened to "The Sound of Music" the whole way to the high school. One day, my high schooler looked at me and said "Mom, it's FREAKIN' embarrassing to be going to down the hall singing 'high on the hill was a lonely goat herd' when all your friends are singing "My Milkshake!" LOL.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I LOVED the "CLAP DADDY CLAP" command! I remember one time being in the car doing all the WIGGLES dance to "QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK, COCK-A-DOODLE DOO"....and I was BY MYSELF! What a DORK! (confession: my kids are all over 7 now, but I still love "Captain Feathersword"!)
ReplyDeleteIf you're happy and you know it...
ReplyDeleteThese days my son likes the Kaiser Chiefs and my daughter veers from Status Quo to Disney ballads.
I've stopped letting them bring their CDs into the car, insisting instead on BBC Radio 4.
I make exceptions for long journeys, when listening to anything is better than constant whining.
Aren't there laws against clapping while in charge of a vehicle?
ReplyDeleteyou need one of my kids mix cds. Really...guaranteed you will not be pulling your hair out by the end of the car trip. But you will know how to sing Do Re Mi.
ReplyDeleteYou will thank me forever. Just ask.
My son has his own play list on my iPod. I lost the car radio, the house radio and my iTunes all in one foul swoop.
ReplyDeleteAt least he's outgrown the Wiggles.
My kids have started demanding random numbers - song #3, song #5. They don't actually know which songs these numbers refer to - the sole point of the exercise is to see WHOSE request prevails.
ReplyDeleteWhen your daughter gets older never under any circumstances tune to Radio Disney. You'll never get the Jonas Brothers out of your head--which I must admit though is better than the Wiggles of the Wonder Pets song.
ReplyDeleteWhew, that's a disclamier they need to put on iPods. I spent the whole day listening to "WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME TO THE BIG BLUE HOUSE!"
ReplyDeleteIt should be illegal to play The Wiggles in car - it's just too distracting.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, I'd like to listen to *MY* music one of these days. Of course, when they're older they'll let you - and then they'll call The Smith's "old people music", courtesy of my 8 year-old son.
Carrie
Lucky for me, LA Mommy has to play all the kids music in her car. But I'll occasionally catch her humming or singing the words on her own.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to do it my ears would bleed.
what i really resent about parenthood is the fact that i seem biologically incapable of getting a decent tune stuck in my head anymore, and am permanently cursed with finding myself whistling "eensy beensy spider" in the shower or humming Elmo songs in the car, even when the child is not around.
ReplyDeletei think childrens' music may be a cruel trick played on adults.
Wait until she gets older and listens to High School Musical or whatever is popular then. I find myself singing it constantly because my daughter always has the soundtrack on.
ReplyDeleteradioactive girl -- I'm doing that at work now with that Wiggles song "Big red car"...
ReplyDeleteIt's driving me crazy!! :)
carrie -- say it isn't so: The Smiths "old people music"? If Depeche Mode get tagged as that, I'm going to start yelling at kids to stay off my lawn.
Darren -- thankfully Radio Disney doesn't exist in her head. I'll have to pretend I've never heard of it.
Stay at home dad -- No, only breakdancing while driving.
So far, my kids are unaware that kid's music could be played in the car. By the time they learn we'll probably have a new vehicle with headsets for each kid. Then I can listen whatever I want.
ReplyDeleteThis JUST started with us. Luckily, we have a old car with no CD player and a tape deck (and no tapes to put in it).
ReplyDeleteWe've managed to escape the Wiggles (for now). The Impling likes the Toucan Pirates, Dan Zane, There Might Be Giants, classic Sesame Steet songs, and Kansas.
Yes. Kansas.
well, you've given up the car radio. There's no going back. I think it is time to introduce the concept of the credit card and goth dress...
ReplyDeleteLOL
Hehe! This is why I give my son copies of my music to listen to. Then we're on the same page.
ReplyDeleteI must admit, for someone who sings kid songs as part of my job, we don't listen to them much at home... Bad enough I'm always doing the hokey pokey in my head.
ReplyDeleteThat's it! I'm coming out of the closet... I love The Wiggles. I saw them in concert with my kids and have been hooked since. Don't hold it against me. I'm still very cool.
ReplyDelete