My older girls reallly enjoy iTunes. They get iTunes gift cards now and then, so they purchase songs right from home. We all share one iPod, so we get to listen to each other's music. They are much more into popular music now than they were last year.
Since I think music is an important and wonderful part of life, I hope to help them think a little about the music they listen to. Lately I have been focusing on the lyrics. We listen together and talk about the songs before they buy them. Sometimes we both like the songs and we sing them together and have a little fun. Sometimes we notice lyrics that I think are a little too sensual for young kids or lyrics that are just plain stupid. I'm finding several ways to help the kids think about popular music. One way is to sing the lyrics to them in a way that more obviously reflects their meaning. Sometimes we aren't sure what the lyrics are, so we get on the Internet to search for the words to the song. Then one of us reads them out loud. This often leads to one of three things: we all say, "okay" (then we buy) or the girls look at me and say, "what?" (then we discuss), or they get that look on their face and say, "Ooh" (then we look for other songs).
This has led to a few good laughs and a little more thought about the music we listen to. It's not a perfect approach by any means, but so far I'm encouraged by their responses. And while we are at it, we try not to take ourselves too seriously.
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