Throughout Marcela's second year of preschool my concern for her awareness and interest in pop culture began to concern me. Did four year olds really need to know about Justin Bieber? Well, apparently they do. All of the girls in Marcela's class had older siblings and it seemed that somewhere during their day at school, Justin Bieber became a focus of their conversations. She told us on several occasions that she was going to marry him. I first started by responding that by the time she was old enough to marry Justin Bieber, he'd be as old as her grandpa. She didn't believe that one for a second. Then I asked her how she could marry someone she didn't even know. That would be weird.At the end of the year, I went with my third graders on a field trip. The bus driver that transported us to our destination pumped up the volume on the radio station and the kids sang their lungs out to the latest tunes . . . ones I'm embarrassed to say I didn't really know. As I sat there and took in their excitement and listened to the lyrics of the songs . . . I realized they didn't really know what in the world they were singing about - adult relationships - love - and other "stuff." ahem.
I realized that day that Marcela was probably just as innocent as they were singing along and falling in love with pop culture. Just as innocent as I was when I sang along to Madonna's Like a Virgin or Cindy Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun in second grade. Or just as innocent as my sixth grade crush on Jordan from New Kids on the Block, that's NKOTB for all you kids born after the nineties.
So when Marcela's Aunt Keekee gave her a Bieber bag for her birthday, I swallowed my pride and stopped trying to downplay pop culture. And I downloaded Bieber's Baby Oh to my iPod. These songs will be the melodies of her childhood. She'll get all giddy inside and turn up the radio 30 years from now when she hears them on the radio. She'll download Bieber and make her kids dance to it just like I make my girls jam out to Wilson Phillips or get jiggy wit Will Smith. So, here's me letting my girls embrace pop culture, Baby OH!
I also must add that Cecilia now comes into the kitchen dancing and says "Mommy, Baby Oh Peeeeeease!" and insists that I turn it on on my iPod. When the song finishes she begs for it over and over again.
5 comments:
Super cute! Have you seen the youtube video with the girl who wants to marry Justin Bieber? Google it! It is hilarious. I don't get the Biebs, but I'm an old woman. I am shocked at how much those songs from my youth mean to me. I had a little record player and a small stack of 45s in my bedroom when I was little. I remember playing Eddie Rabbit's "Love a Rainy Night" over and over and over again! It's hilarious to me now. Can't get away from music. It just now that the pop culture comes with it for the young. Those girls will laugh at these videos someday.
why i am never there for the singing parties?
I love the perspective and it is totally true, Justin will be part of "the good ole' days" for your girls. You are a fun mom Daisy!
I really loved this post. And the pics are hilarious!!
Pics were so funny and Marcela's little strut up the hill made me almost wet my pants. They are so cute! Great post, Daisy. So true about music and kids and how our memories are defined by songs sometimes.
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