Should Kids Listen to the Radio?

Mainstream music has begun to celebrate mediocrity. A quick snap shot of probably the best radio station in my area would suggest being a lowlife is awesome, being disloyal and sleeping around is the way to go, and we should all just get drunk all the time. I don’t even want to get into the general portrayal of women. All this as a parent really makes me question whether or not my kids should be listening to the radio at all.

The first and probably most important question, is will what you child hears on the radio really influencing their perspective?

If your child is currently in the toddler stage like mine you know the verbiage at least is assimilated. Whether the meaning behind the music is caught by younger children is questionable, but that they can pick up terminology and ideas you may not want them knowing is for sure. As far as older kids studies have long shown that media can influence behavioral patterns in everything from sexual activity to diet. While the radio may seem like background noise to you, it can be a lot more to a child.

The second question becomes, what are you listening to?

It’s true that certain hit songs are just horrible-Theory of a Deadman’s Lowlife is the song of the moment that makes me lose just a little more faith in humanity-not all music carries a negative message. If you can successfully find a radio station that plays decent kid appropriate music, it’s not a problem to begin with. Personally, I just switch stations anytime a song comes on that isn’t kid appropriate. I don’t listen to kids stations exclusively because I’d go crazy and my toddlers do really love The Doors. You could also listen to just the news, tradio or whatever the radio has to offer, and then switch to CDs for your listening pleasure so you’re in control of what’s being heard.

In the end it’s not necessarily that kids shouldn’t listen to the radio, but that parents need to be more aware of the message or even vocabulary the music being played is portraying. In teens you may have better luck counter acting the effects of music than trying to regulate it due to the overall availability of music. In younger kids you simply should consider screening all new music before letting little ears absorb.

What do your kids listen to?

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