I am a pretty liberal dad. I talk to my kids alot and openly about everything from sex to drugs . . . to Rock-n-Roll. I always try to give them options and let them make their own decisions . . . or sometimes, their own mistakes.
Speaking of Rock-n-Roll, I have a couple of rules about music for this household, (my Mary allows me to have these rules) and it is not that all music must be Elvis.
My only rules are: 1. Rap is OK as long as it is NOT ANGRY or VIOLENT. Just about any kind of music is welcome in this household as long as it is NOT ANGRY OR VIOLENT OR something that promotes or elicits negative emotions. I think music is a powerful medium that touches us to our very heart in one way or another. (There is this whole thing about sound and music I once studied that talked about how music affects humans emotionally . . . it talked about how different tones and frequencies actually affect our mind, emotions and physiology.) So nothing negative, angy or violent is allowed.
My kids have always known this, and they have quite a collection of music from various genres and I am happy that they are open to all kinds of stuff. Yeah for them. In times past, they have chosen to buy CD's that have a couple of songs that are so angry and disturbing that they make me want to slit my own wrists. While trying to be fair to them, I offered that they could either get rid of the CD or allow me to make compilation CD's with just the songs that I feel are more appropriate (I have lot's of CD burning technology in my home and it is no problem). This had made them happy.
So, the other day my 17 yo comes home from the music store with a new CD (don't remember the group's name). She showed it to me and I said, "cool". Later I went into her bedroom to ask her a question and she was playing her new CD. It was the most angry, ugly crap I had ever heard. We talked about it . . .
She copped an attitude because I took exception to the kind of music she brought into my house. I again offered her the option of a compilation CD. She gave me that snotty "I hate you" look and told me that all the songs were like that. I said, "oh, OK."
I took the CD and broke it, then tossed it into the trash can where it belongs. I am sorry she lost her money on that CD, but she knew what the rules were when she bought it. Sometimes I hate being the father of teenagers.
Corvin