The only thing I wouldn't want my daughter listening to is the insipid poorly done music marketed towards kids like Kidz Bop.

She can listen to anything she wants.

The first CD my mom ever bought for me was Green Day's "Dookie"
The first CD she bought for my brother was Bob Marley 7 The Wailers' "Legend"
We now both have excellent taste in music. We prefer artists that write their own songs and play their own instruments over all the pop trash that emphasizes looks over actual talent and ability.
The only censorship my mom enforced was that the music had to be quality, not bubblegum filler. We'd have meaningful conversations with her about what we thought the songs meant, and how they made us feel.

The issue, though, is that some of the music out there -- not a lot, but some -- is actually pretty violent or crudely and overtly sexual. Some is really graphic. I do not let my 8 year old watch Rated R movies. No "No Country for Old Men," no "Clockwork Orange," no "Seven," etc. No "The Accused." So likewise, I do not let him listen to songs that are overtly violent or sexual. It's not about the quality of the music -- they can like what they want (if it is annoying bubblegum, he just can't listen to it in the living room) -- but about what is appropriate for the age they are. And like an adult move or adult TV show, some music is for adults, not kids, because of its graphic content.

What will happen if your child listens to music not on the approved list? Next will you monitor the stories they read on line or in the newspaper? Do you monitor what your partner listens to? Try a positive approach...let your child take lessons on an instrument, join the school band or orchestra and take them to hear live concerts.

Sarah, we're talking about little kids. Do you not monitor your children's activities or is it "anything goes"? Of course not. You parent your children. You set boundaries. You model good behavior.
I think that parenting extends to music -- for little ones, and that's what I am clearly talking about, as I mentioned my 8 year old. As for the internt: at 8 he isn't going online except to do research for school -- and with all that is out there online, it would be *insanely* bad parenting to let an elementary school kid go online without monitoring. That can't be what you are suggesting. So he is enrolled in activities and clubs. He plays guitar. But he also does not get free-reign to watch whatver he wants or listen to music that promote violence. To call that bad parenting is odd.

The point I was trying to make is that if you understand the music yourself, as a parent, or a movie or tv show, as a parent, then it's easy to tell what your kids will be able to handle. You can talk about it with them, you can give them some perspective. Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so. Kids need to know it's one thing to talk the talk, it's another to walk the walk. This helps them be able to make responsible decisions about what they listen to for themselves.

I don't want kids to listen to this crap like Lil Wayne and Yin Yang Twins, etc.... not because of its obscene sexual content and violence, or its overt references to using drugs and brand name quoting alcohol, or references to useless expensive material luxury items.

It's more because the songs are just crap, yet they are all over BILLBOARD #1.... Ive heard 8 year olds sing this stuff!! I would hate to be a parent in this day and age! MTV and BET market this junk to kids with videos that bleep the offensive lyrical content yet leave the intent of the language quite visually obvious.

Some musicians and their promoters/distributors have no social conscience.

But, censorship and repressing this stuff from kids is not the answer!

Vote with your dollar. Don't support them by buying the music, even if your kids beg. If the kids want the music... they will have to spend their hard earned first job money on it. Cancel cable, if you really care.

As a parent of 14 and 10 year old daughters I say you must absolutely talk with your kids about why a specific song is something that shouldn't be supported by listening or buying. My neighbors daughter (8) came over the other day and was singing "You spin me right round baby when you go down, when u go down!" Granted she didn't know this song was a reference to strippers on a pole and oral sex, but what parent wouldn't change the station when this song is played. Listening to Britney brag about how "All the boys and all the girls want to IF (F) You (U) Seek (CK) Amy (ME) is not something my kids will ever be accused of.

Tom

Yeah, like Flo Rida on American Idol a couple weeks ago. Think any of the young fans understand what the words to Right Round were?

I let my kids listen to anything, but I tell them things with inappropriate language (swear words, etc) should not be played for their friends. I don't want other parents getting upset that little Susie heard F*CK in a song that Janie played on her iPod.

My kids hear enough bad language in their house from their Mom and Dad. :)

Now TV is a different story. Many Disney shows blocked on our TV (Zack and Cody, Hannah Montana, etc). Can't stand that insipid crap and how they portray (smart a**) kids and (dumb) parents.

We hardly ever listen to regular radio, and we don't own a TV, so we don't have a huge problem with policing our kids music just yet (they are 8 and 7). I try to expose them to a variety - my collection includes everything from jazz to classical to folk to alternative to acapella to world music. Although I have tried to teach them to head bang to Bohemian Rhapsody, given a choice, they like to listen to Phantom of the Opera, alternating with the Cars soundtrack.

I do save the Nine Inch Nails and Korn for when they are at school though...

Our 11 year olds have MP3 players but they don't have their own download accounts. If they want to download music (usually via a gift card) they have to use my account and I veto anything inappropriate. Before they got into digital music, I would buy CDs from Wal-Mart (where I'm happy that they censor!) of artists who they would like but who I also like and know - Green Day, Audioslave, U2 etc. When they want to download music that I don't know, which is usually only themes from sports video games or wrestling, I take a listen first before loading it up for them.

That said, I am a child of the late 80s so my tween/early teen years were spent listening to the likes of GNR, Bon Jovi, Poison, Metallica and other hard rock/hair bands and I'm no worse for the wear! Back then we wouldn't let play the offensive lyrics in earshot of our parents, but we were at an age where if they had banned certain bands it would have made the music more appealing. I think that once kids get to an age where they can earn their own money to buy music and can be on a computer relatively unsupervised (I'm thinking 13, 14+) then there's not much you can do but hope that your prior influence sinks in. But before that, I get veto power. Finally, one of the coolest things my mom did was chaperone my friends and me to concerts in grades 7-9 when we were too young to go alone. We all had to buy our own tickets and share the cost of hers but she was willing to drive and sit there through the show, no matter how awful the band.

We're definitely not at the point where this is an issue with our daughter yet, but it's something I've thought about. I remember huge battles with my mother over music - not because of foul language or sexual reference but because of the overall message of undermining authority and loads of foul language. By the time I was 10, all I wanted was a mohawk and Cockney Rejects album (I'd discovered a college radio station that played mostly '77 punk).

And now, she and I laugh about how tame the music and its message is compared to the overglorified sex and drugs overtones of today's pop.

For now, our daughter is being raised on a diet of classical, swing and punk. I guess that's a bridge we'll have to cross when we come to it.

Er...I should use the "preview" section more often. My post should have said, "not because of violent language or sexual reference.."