Why I Won't Play Annoying Kiddie Songs In My Car

When my kids were infants, they'd sometimes cry in the car.

I think their carseats somehow offended them.

But I would never put on nursery rhymes to calm them down. Why?

Well, quite frankly, if I had to drive around listening to the Itsy-Bitsy-Spider, I'd have to remove my ears. I'm already moody enough as it is when I drive since no one likes to use their turn signals anymore. Add music being sung in that irritating over-enthusiastic high-pitched way and I might have completely lost it.

Normally what I would put on is musicals. And you know what? Sometimes it would work. (Sometimes the kids were just plain pissed off and nothing would stop the wails.)

But because I played musicals from the beginning, they can hum along to One Day More from Les Miserables. 

They can jam to "Bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah!" which is the opening strings of The Phantom Of The Opera.

Natalie loves Wicked. She was thrilled to be able to see it on stage and I believe it's because she heard the music when she was tiny. She loves Elphaba.

"So if you care to find me...look to the Western sky!"

She knows the lyrics because of me. She also knows the lyrics to those annoying kid songs, but guess what? She learned those in school and I didn't have to endure them unless I went to an assembly program.

Most of the time she's fine with the music I play. Sometimes I branch out and will put on The Beach Boys or New Kids On The Block.

But when I put on The Beatles, Natalie will sigh and be like, "This is old people music!"

Oh well. You can't win them all.

But at least I'm not listening to nursery rhymes sung by people who sound as though they've just consumed cases of Jolt soda.

What sort of music do you play in your vehicle?