Do you censor your kid's music

[LuvOrlando]

So may I ask, those of you who say you do not censor anything, a few questions? Do you really not limit anything at all or do your boundaries simply lie elsewhere, in other directions than mainstream? For example, would you be ok with material put out there by child abusers? Material the advocates genocide? Anarchy? Criminal behavior? Is there no circumstance or idea which you find abhorrent enough to say no?

I think we're all the same in the end and the only thing that really differentiates one from another is where exactly we deliberately chose to set our boundaries and who exactly we decide to oppose.

 

[clovergirl5]

So may I ask, those of you who say you do not censor anything, a few questions? Do you really not limit anything at all or do your boundaries simply lie elsewhere, in other directions than mainstream? For example, would you be ok with material put out there by child abusers? Material the advocates genocide? Anarchy? Criminal behavior? Is there no circumstance or idea which you find abhorrent enough to say no?

I think we're all the same in the end and the only thing that really differentiates one from another is where exactly we deliberately chose to set our boundaries and who exactly we decide to oppose.

That is a little harsh isn't it?

I think its every parents right to censor or not censor as they see fit for their family. Whats good for my family isn't necessarily good for yours and vice versa. It was nice that everyone could post yes or no for censorship and explanation and not be judged by everyone else for their answer.

 

[LuvOrlando]

That is a little harsh isn't it?

I think its every parents right to censor or not censor as they see fit for their family. Whats good for my family isn't necessarily good for yours and vice versa. It was nice that everyone could post yes or no for censorship and explanation and not be judged by everyone else for their answer.

Why exactly is this harsh? The point is we all are the same, we all have limits, so therefore we should all be tolerant of where each others boundaries lie, no more and no less....

 

[luvmy3]

So may I ask, those of you who say you do not censor anything, a few questions? Do you really not limit anything at all or do your boundaries simply lie elsewhere, in other directions than mainstream? For example, would you be ok with material put out there by child abusers? Material the advocates genocide? Anarchy? Criminal behavior? Is there no circumstance or idea which you find abhorrent enough to say no?

I think we're all the same in the end and the only thing that really differentiates one from another is where exactly we deliberately chose to set our boundaries and who exactly we decide to oppose.

My limits are pretty much explicit language and explicit sex, but really only if its blatant and obvious. My dd has a few Lady Gaga songs on her ipod which I don't mind because of the inuendos. If LG decided to outright say what she was doing/or wants to do in her lyrics, dd would not have them.
As far as child abusers, the only one I can think of is MJ and my kids are fans of his music but not fans of his. All that other stuff really doesn't effect what I let my kids listen to because I don't believe listening to a song about anarchy or genocide or criminal behavior is going to turn my kids into someone who does those things. I am not the type of person that believes that listening to that kind of stuff means you support it. Sometimes its just about liking good music, with catchy beats and lyrics, and thats all. Now if they were walking around chanting all the time, shaving their heads and wearing strange clothes, sneaking out at night and stealing, I might have an issue

 

[testifyoncruises]

So may I ask, those of you who say you do not censor anything, a few questions? Do you really not limit anything at all or do your boundaries simply lie elsewhere, in other directions than mainstream? For example, would you be ok with material put out there by child abusers? Material the advocates genocide? Anarchy? Criminal behavior? Is there no circumstance or idea which you find abhorrent enough to say no?

So you are basically referring to the entire Bible, stories of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Boston Tea Party and anything by Michael Jackson.

And you should probably not be playing Baby It's cold outside since that is nothing more than a song about date rape.

 

[clovergirl5]

My limits are pretty much explicit language and explicit sex, but really only if its blatant and obvious. My dd has a few Lady Gaga songs on her ipod which I don't mind because of the inuendos. If LG decided to outright say what she was doing/or wants to do in her lyrics, dd would not have them.
As far as child abusers, the only one I can think of is MJ and my kids are fans of his music but not fans of his. All that other stuff really doesn't effect what I let my kids listen to because I don't believe listening to a song about anarchy or genocide or criminal behavior is going to turn my kids into someone who does those things. I am not the type of person that believes that listening to that kind of stuff means you support it. Sometimes its just about liking good music, with catchy beats and lyrics, and thats all. Now if they were walking around chanting all the time, shaving their heads and wearing strange clothes, sneaking out at night and stealing, I might have an issue

My kids are young, 13 and under...I have never given much thought to what the artist/singer stands for at this point. Its more or less just liking the song. If Charles Manson put out a cd, no I wouldn't buy it. If the singer has words in their songs that are about murder, sex, etc. --they are just words to me. If it was Charles Manson, that is a different story. He is sitting in jail for murder, not just singing about it. Thats jmo, I don't begrudge anyone else for a difference of opinion. To each their own.

 

[turkeymama]

So you are basically referring to the entire Bible, stories of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Boston Tea Party and anything by Michael Jackson.

And you should probably not be playing Baby It's cold outside since that is nothing more than a song about date rape.

All of those that I bolded are historical events/writings, not songs played for entertainment.

 

[Sparx]

All of those that I bolded are historical events/writings, not songs played for entertainment.

what about the books about those, that are read for entertainment?

 

[testifyoncruises]

All of those that I bolded are historical events/writings, not songs played for entertainment.

All of those are material put out there by child abusers? Material the advocates genocide? Anarchy? Criminal behavior?

And those Songs of Solomon were songs played for entertainment and some of those lyrics would make Lady GaGa Blush!

 

[turkeymama]

what about the books about those, that are read for entertainment?

Which books are we talking about in particular? I'm all for teaching historical events to kids, at age-appropriate times. Fictionalized accounts of historical events? Maybe, maybe not. Again, there is a difference.

 

[turkeymama]

All of those are material put out there by child abusers? Material the advocates genocide? Anarchy? Criminal behavior?

And those Songs of Solomon were songs played for entertainment and some of those lyrics would make Lady GaGa Blush!

I don't think there is much that could make Lady Gaga blush, She doesn't strike me as the type that embarrasses easily.

So do you really think those things (Bible, Declaration of Independence for example) are comparable to Lady Gaga singing about taking a ride on a "disco stick"?

 

[testifyoncruises]

So do you really think those things (Bible, Declaration of Independence for example) are comparable to Lady Gaga singing about taking a ride on a "disco stick"?

Yes indeed absolutely.

Plenty of things to find offensive in the Bible.

And the Declaration of Independence was an act of Treason and anarchy in the highest degree.

If you are going to get all upset about riding a disco stick, then you have to really look and listen.

 

[turkeymama]

Yes indeed absolutely.

Plenty of things to find offensive in the Bible.

And the Declaration of Independence was an act of Treason and anarchy in the highest degree.

If you are going to get all upset about riding a disco stick, then you have to really look and listen.

Okay. I guess I'm just not liberated enough. I can live with that. Maybe we can agree to disagree?

 

[testifyoncruises]

Well honestly do you think Lady Gaga today and her Disco stick is any worse than Sheena Easton and her Sugar Walls?

It is not like music suddenly has become more raunchy, I think just our perception of it changes. However, I don't think a six year old even picks up on the meaning but just likes the music.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I LOVE Lady GaGa! (or as my youngest dd calls her GooGooGaGa!) She is by far my favorite performer currently. I would love to see her concert. She reminds me of myself at her age.

 

[testifyoncruises]

I was just more amazed that I was playing with my DD in a quiet small park just enjoying the day and singing and have this mommy drive-by as I call it about our choice of music.

I am glad to know there are others who do not censor what their child hears.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I was just more amazed that I was playing with my DD in a quiet small park just enjoying the day and singing and have this mommy drive-by as I call it about our choice of music.

I am glad to know there are others who do not censor what their child hears.

I agree with that--I find it astounding that someone actually noticed what you were singing in the park, noticed the lyrics, took ofense and stopped to say something to you. Very odd to me. I would be pretty darned surprised if that happened to me also. I can see where someone might say someting if you were singing vulgar lyrics loudly or clearly at a park (intended for use by young children) because they did not want their children to hear it and it is not appropriate to a local that caters to the young (just as certain shirts are not allowed at WDW, etc.). I am not surprised that other people censor their kids' music. If you do not do so already, you may want to consider self censoring what you play when your DD has friends over--you could really upset other parents (and find your DD losing out on friends and playdates) otherwise.

 

[Ashes8380]

I have to agree with those who said that forbidding something is a surefire way to make it all the more appealing. I'm a library director and last year we had a high profile (locally, at least) censorship attempt by a patron. Before this happened, the book in question had been checked out a total of two times. During the week after the article in the paper, we had at least 5 people coming in to look for it and multiple holds placed on the item.

 

[Momvic5]

I don't like the idea of forbidding either....the best plan I have come up with in my home is just to be aware of the music I am listening to and giving example to, to have healthy boundaries on what I will buy and allow played in my home, to be interested in my children's music choices, and to encourage conversations on music. Of course when children are very young, parents can easily monitor their children's music, but as they get older, it is almost impossible. My oldest child is 13, and music is everything to him right now. I have explained to him what I think is healthy for him and I do have my limits on what I will buy for him, but ultimately, he has to decide what he is going to listen to.

Several weeks ago, one of his friends(13) posted the lyrics of a song on his FB wall. I am not kidding when I say that every 3rd to 5th word was the *f* word. The young man was quite proud of himself until many of his same age friends posted their dislike. He apologized and quickly deleted it.... Though my son and I had a great conversation about this particular song, this is the type song that I have said "no" to in my home. It is explicit, vulgar, and unhealthy for a 13yr old. I can't be sure that my son will not listen to this song or songs like it, but I can be sure that my son knows my expectations for him, and I can make sure that I do not support that type music by not buying it for him.

 

[DWGal210]

I will preface this by saying I am not yet a parent - but I do agree with the earlier statements that if you ban lots of music, books, etc in your house, the kids are much more interested in it for that very reason. I am not saying that you shouldn't use your own morals and values when making decisions about what is right for your kids, you should have rules as you see fit and apply those rules in your house - but I have witnessed what happens when too much censoring is applied.

I have 2 cousins who are now in college; their parents hovered over them for 18 years and then when they went to college, the kids went nuts. I'm not talking about the isolated "we don't like that song"; they seem to have a problem with just about every mainstream song and every book out there. I am honestly suprised that their other kids haven't cracked yet.