So, this has been a theme in my thoughts for a few weeks now. My kid's almost 6, and a few months ago her grandma bought her a Kidz Bop CD. Fast forward to last Friday, and I can now say I've seen Kidz Bop live in concert.Me—the whiny high school emo girl who went on to study literature and be a snobby asshole for at least 10 years and who judged everyone based on the music they liked and the books they had or didn't have on their shelves.I accompanied my daughter and her grandma to a Kidz Bop concert.And I kinda honestly really had fun. I had like a 24 oz beer and then I had fun. Because my baby girl was happier than a pig in shit and when something makes her that happy it makes me happy too.In my teens and early 20s, I never thought I would have this kid. I had my kid's aesthetic all picked out. She was gonna know who Lou Reed was and she was only going to wear baby Chuck Taylors.Now, I look back on the person I was who was thinking that way and realize how in my idiot, stuck up, borderline narcissistic head I was.My kid, exposed to everything she could be exposed to between me, her dad, her friends, and her gaggle of grandparents, took to Disney Princesses. She loves pink. She could wear pink and glitter and purple and tulle every day forever. She likes those funny light up clunky Sketchers shoes that I hated even when I was her age.And the more I keep doing this parenting thing the more I realize I don't care. I love her to death just the way she is. She is aware that her and mommy have different tastes but that we can respect each other's tastes too. When she puts on a huge purple glittery my little pony dress that I don't like, she asks me what I think and I say "well how do you feel? You look like you feel really good in that!" And she says yeah and that's all that matters.So, my kid's been into Kidz Bop lately and yeah, there's a part of me that really hates it and wishes she had never been exposed to it because I feel like a lot of the values expressed in popular hit music aren't values I really want her to adopt.But at the same time, I also don't want to yuck her yum. She's happy listening to it and she doesn't like the stuff I show her really, and I don't want to discourage her from liking things she likes.I will say that sometimes I see parents raising their kids exclusively on old music and old TV shows and not really giving them much choice with their wardrobe, dressing them like little hipsters and then posting pictures of them online all over the place and I often wonder if some of us (myself included) get caught in the trap I think a lot of parents can get caught up in where they subconsciously just need to see little versions of themselves in order to feel connected to their kid.I know of parents who straight up won't let their kid watch a show they like just because the parent wants them to watch 80s cartoons instead or something...or won't let their kid have the light up Sketchers because they think they're ugly shoes.This whole Kidz Bop thing I'm on the border of because again, I don't want my kid to grow up valuing mass consumerism and toxic relationships TOO much, but then again I can't assume she would...she might just like to dance to Bruno Mars and isn't really paying attention to the lyrics.Anyway, tl;dr...my kid likes shit I hate and while I sometimes makes me uncomfortable I still just like seeing her happy. Does anyone relate to this experience? via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2eZof2F
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