Kenny Rogers’ Advice

Music has always been an important part of my life. When my teenage hormones raged, it gave me an outlet. When I started looking for the definition of cool, I looked no further than Keith Richards, among others. I thought picking up the guitar would be a surefire way to be surrounded by beautiful women. That sort of worked, but it took a good 10 years to pay off.

My wife and I met while playing in a band together, so, needless to say, music is a very important part of our lives. Heck, our in utero son was witness to an impressive lineup of rock shows: The Black Crowes, The Black Keys, The Flaming Lips, Phosphorescent, Band of Horses, and, on an epic New Year’s Eve, The Drive-By Truckers (don’t worry, he passed on the shared bottle of Jack).

Of course, these days the rock show circuit has slowed down for us. Around home, my son and I have been enjoying a lot of music. I know that I have listened so very many times to his Lamaze Space Symphony Motion Gym and his Fisher-Price My Little Lamb seat that the tunes will pop into my head even when I’m away from home. My son also gets to hear plenty of silly, improvised tunes made up by his dad, as well as a front row seat to an acoustic singer/songwriter act with a warble that makes Bob Dylan’s seem downright mellifluous. I’ve been busting out tons of great, classic records to spin for me and my boy. Johnny Cash’s voice calms him and he will wake from a nap when the record needs flipped.  Ray Charles’ Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music is another favorite.

One aspect of parenting that I look forward to is looking back on my own upbringing and offering my son a peek into it. On the nostalgia front, he really seems to dig tunes by the singer of my first favorite song, “The Gambler.” As ole Kenny Rogers oozes dulcet tones, he offers great parenting advice, “you’ve got to know when to hold them.” (please don't hate me for that joke...)