I have a problem.
I know that's no great revelation to those few regular readers I have, but I'm not talking about my ongoing battle with sanity. I'm talking about a different problem altogether.
My children are 14 and 12 years of age. When I was that age I listened to all the regular teenage radio stations that played all the regular teenage hits. I sang along with the best of them. Roberta Flack and I lamented about some guy killing us softly with his song. Elton John and I did the Crocodile Rock together. John Denver and I crooned about country roads taking us home. The Moody Blues and I dreamed about knights in white satin. Carly Simon and I sang about a really vain guy. James Taylor and I remembered Suzanne in Fire and Rain. I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
I am a child of the 70's. There, I've said it. And as a child of the 70's I am disappointed in what my children are being fed by way of their ears in this day and age.
Back in the 70's we had music. Not some people with poor language skills and even poorer writing skills trying to talk their way through some sort of off-color rhyme, but people who actually SANG. People who wrote SONGS and SANG them. Not only that, but the songs people sang were about things other than sex. There was no mention of the crude side of physical attraction like there is today. Songs were about love, about places, about feelings...not about animal lust.
Now before you youngsters get all up in arms about this, let me say one thing. I remember when I was a teenager that my parents lamented about the state of music and how it had changed since THEIR day. Parents have been complaining about this for generations.
But there's a difference this time.
I think the state of the airwaves today has reached an all-time new low. It's sad to me when my daughter and son sing along with "songs" without even realizing how very disgusting, carnal, and just plain WRONG the words of this so-called "music" can be. And when I call them on it, I get this statement: "Oh Mom, lighten up! It's just a SONG!"
Somehow I don't think this is what God was talking about when He said to "sing a new song." When I ask my kids what they think God would say about the songs they sing, all I get is rolling eyes and shaking heads. I'm obviously not cool because I'm so "rigid" with what I believe. But something's wrong with a society that sings about how it's OK to treat sex like an animal act.
Something is terribly wrong.
2 Timothy 2:22
Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. (NLT)
5 comments:
Girl I feel your pain!! My two youngest ( and the only ones at home now) ages 15 & 13..are listening to the same stuff. I've done the whole ' What would God say?" to " YOu have a call on your life for worship and what do you think THAT music is doing to your call?" ( Ok ok..don't beat me up for that line..but it was how I was feeling at the time.) I told my girls how I do 'get' how they're feeling. I remember singing along to 'Afternoon Delight' b/c I liked the tune, before I realised WHAT the heck I was singing!! So I've told them that story and asked them to think about the words. I get that the music has some great tunes and great beats to it, but it's the words that they keep 'singing over themselves' that has me worried too!So..I remind them, when they say it 'doesn't matter', that even the world knows that you can play music to a baby in womb and it influences that child- a father that speaks to a child in the womb will often find that child turning to HIS voice even as a newborn.So..I'm equipping with with knowledge and laying down boundaries -and praying like crazy! Like I said, I feel your pain - I'll had you to my prayer list of ' Help God'!! Rock on Mama!!
Well said! Something is terribly, terribly wrong. And my kids are grown but I watch young kids and my heart just breaks. I'm a child of the 60s, and I sang those 70s song too (and I sang "Afternoon Delight" too, but when you think of it, there is nothing wrong with thinking sex in the afternoon is delightful) but I am shocked and saddened by what passes for mainstream today. Last year I was driving across country at night and looked for clear stations to help keep me awake. I cannot tell you how horrified I was to hear a female voice singing that she was "no ho, but I like to lick it." And going on to describe in graphic detail what she was going to do to make herself appealing to a man. At first I thought I could not be hearing what I was hearing. Oh yeah, I was. I snapped off the dial and prayer. Lots.
My niece and I went to a music store and I listened along to the whole CD before we bought it. I know I've lost a bit of my 'cool' status but I need to be assured her mind and mouth aren't filled with useless stuff. It's hard enough to filter as a teen without some of these lyrics.
I figure if I check the books she reads...how much more should I check the music. Thankfully she has a real love for the Christian gospel and Christian hip hop music.
I also remember an album my dad BOUGHT my sister (Vanit##y 6) which was absolutely appalling...even the TITLES were bad...he didn't realize til she played it...then he took it away from her. I think she was 11-12 y.o.
You might try asking your kids to tune in to K-Love radio. I would bet there's a station in your area. It's totally Christian with all different styles of Christian music. They might surprise themselves.
Check it out online. You can even listen to it on line.
http://klove.com/
I LOVE KLOVE!!
However, it doesn't come in well here. Lots of static, depending on where you are. We do listen to a local Christian station that plays the same type of music, but the kids just haven't caught on to it yet. Hopefully, with more time, they'll turn to it more and more.
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