Kids and Music: Where's Your Line?

Kelly Mills — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 21:20:00 GMT

I must have mentioned my very "Footloose" upbringing before: We weren't allowed to listen to the radio because our parents were worried about our exposure to sinnin' lyrics. The result was that my sister and I were glued to the radio whenever we went to a friend's house. And because of this, I probably err in the opposite direction, letting my kid listen to just about anything with an abandon I don't have when it comes to movies and television.

But even I paused when my seven-year-old child (incorrectly) sang some Fergalicious the other day. "I am easy, I am sleazy..." "It's 'ain't' easy!" I lamely cried.

One of my favorite activities with my kid is to put on music and have a dance party in our living room. But now that I'm enamored with this song (don't ask me why) I start to think, "Maybe I don't want her co-listening to this one." And I've been hesitant to introduce other artists I love because, well, I don't really want her to learn the n-word right now.

Look, I could care less about straight profanity in songs, and I seriously doubt she gets most of the sexy stuff or the drug references. At least I didn't when I was her age, and I'd rather have her discuss it with me than absorb this stuff at a friend's house. But you know, even though I'm clearly free and easy (but I ain't sleazy) I do have some limits.

Where do you draw the line? How do you---or do you---censor popular songs, and at what age do you loosen up?

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