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Some of my D's tastes entertain me and please me but I'm bemused nonetheless.

I'm glad she's found a love for Tolkien, Shakespeare, and Jane Austen. It's nice to share things like Sondheim ("A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum") and "The Prisoner of Zenda."

But lately she's been playing a lot of the Don McLean CD, learning the words to "American Pie." She sings along with Irish folk music (Clancy Brothers, Tommy Makem). And tonight over dinner she asked if I could please put on some Simon & Garfunkle.

Funny but I can never predict what she's going to like. Poor kid, she doesn't care for Bob Dylan at all.

By Digmedia (Digmedia) on Tuesday, June 17, 2003 - 11:49 pm: Edit

After hearing the Wierd Al parody, you'll never hear Don McLean's words in your mind again:

My, my, this here Anakin guy
May be Vader someday later now he's just a small fry
He left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye, sayin'
Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi...
Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi.

By Hautbois (Hautbois) on Tuesday, June 17, 2003 - 11:59 pm: Edit

I think I'm with your daughter here ... I never did get Dylan! When we began our bombing escapade I, for some reason, suddenly began listening to a lot of S&G. They helped my heart.

My D is quite odd, but of course that would go without saying, coming from our family. She listens to They Might Be Giants one minute, moves to opera for a while, and may end up on Beatles or S&G.

We raise 'em to be different. They think different, too.

We took a day trip to Yosemite on Sunday. When we drive we allow everyone to bring CDs and we rotate through the family. Dad took the day off, for some reason, but between the rest (four of us) we had music that went from the soundtrack to The Royal Tenenbaums to Deerhoof to Suzanne Vega to Elliot Smith to Ramones to Aimee Mann to Beatles to Joni Mitchell to ... well, the list goes on and on. Usually we add Philip Glass to the mix, and perhaps some older classical music.

By Thedad (Thedad) on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 12:04 am: Edit

Ah, Hautbois, Dylan is one of the four best lyricists I can think of...I put McCartney in at five. And as for his singing voice, why, I can do an astoundingly good imitation.

I could trip in your car...as long as I drove or sat in the front seat. Predilection for motion sickness.

A friend of one of D's friends got her first kiss on the lips from Johnny(?) Ramone last year just a bit before he died (suicide?). Whichever Ramone it was that recently died whenever.

By Hautbois (Hautbois) on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 12:13 am: Edit

Heh ... Dylan. I study poetry and I still don't get Dylan! Ah well. Some folks don't get Mahler.

I'm always asking the kids when they play Ramones, in my twisted sort of way, so which ones are dead? I can't keep those guys straight.

Doesn't our car full of music sound like fun? I'll even put up with some mighty annoying stuff ... we don't nix anything the kids put on. Of course I'm sure there's some music they wouldn't want us to hear! We don't listen to as much classical in the car because the dynamics are simply too extreme and we have to constantly fiddle with the volume control.

But ... here, let me tie this in with college ... I know that some schools, Stanford included, have had serious classes on Dylan. So tell me ... what is it I'm not getting?

(And did you see my cool pictures at my site? There's one that is quite interesting ... includes a fire hydrant and a large & famous rock.)

By Filo895 (Filo895) on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 12:33 am: Edit

Talk about bemusing tastes, here are my daughter's:
The only C.D.'s she will listen to are Broadway showtunes (she likes to sing the entire score of "Les Mis" while doing her homework; she never listens to the radio or to "popular" music)
She loves Thomas Hardy, George Orwell, and Laura Ingalls Wilder (still reads the endless sequels and prequels to the "Little House" books written by other authors).
She plays "The Sims" whenever she can, constructing elaborate mansions filled with interesting characters with whom she "plays," and she reads "fan fiction" for the T.V. show "Alias" for hours on end.

I think she truly marches to her own drummer.

By Hautbois (Hautbois) on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 12:46 am: Edit

Ahhh ... yes, my D is a Sims addict as well. You should see her site and the tons of links there. Amazing how many are into that stuff. I just don't get that, but oh well.

Showtunes: some of us here are Sondheim nuts. (Probably I am the most nutty of them all.)

And Les Mis ... the last time it was in our nearby large and popular city I was hired to play which was quite fun. I've never gotten to see the show though, and I wish I'd convince myself to spend the big bucks but the last time it was here (in our very own city) I didn't go (and they didn't hire a local orchestra -- boo hiss).

Books: my D loves the Lemony Snickett books, which are, I suppose, for a younger lot. She is an avid Vonnegut fan and collects those. Musn't forget Harry Potter. She loved the required Austen (Pride & Prejudice) this past semester. I don't even know if she's read Hardy. I'll have to suggest him.

So who does listen to popular music? My kids don't listen to much that is "current" and usually disdain what they hear on shows like the Grammys. Hmmm.

By Thedad (Thedad) on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 12:49 am: Edit

Filo, are you sure it's not a queena player instead of a drummer? That's a nice mix of lit.

Hautbois, I boggled a few people when I took D's friend and her mother...but not D...to a Green Day concert. The car pool gave me some taste for Green Day, Social Distortion, the Ramones, etc. Otoh, God deliver me from Courtney Love (what she did to "Both Sides Now" is criminal), etc.

By Sirmoreau (Sirmoreau) on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 01:32 am: Edit

I LOVE BOB DYLAN. Green Day has some "decent" stuff, but it is obviously not in the same league or world with the classics such as Bob Dylan, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd etc. etc.!

Lately I've been intrigued with a few up and coming bands - by the likes of Of A Revolution, Dispatch..also Jack Johnson has some very good musical pieces. Just some new aged music you might want to aquire for your personal "old man/woman" collection.

By Sac (Sac) on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 01:35 am: Edit

Funny how Simon and Garfunkle keep coming up. My son just discovered them. A few nights ago he was humming a tune that I was happy to inform him we had played at our wedding. My daughter, who is five years older than he is, came through the gangsta rap period which I couldn't stand. The hardest part was listening to my daughter absorbing all those misogynist lyrics. Now she and her brother share reggae cds, which I love too. But my son listens most of the time to jazz: Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, all the great tenor sax players. It's wonderful when music is something your kid can share with you, rather than wincing every time the volume goes up.

By Soozievt (Soozievt) on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 02:35 am: Edit

You guys talking of Dylan and lyrics and poetry and education.....Back when I was in high school, ages ago, I realize.....I took an English course called Poetry of Popular Music and we mostly analyzed the lyrics of songs but a huge majority of the course was on Bob Dylan's lyrics.

To Filo....both my girls have extensive CD collections and a huge majority of them are showtunes as well. They listen to some current stuff too. The nice thing is that both love the show music and thus love it in the car. I am a happy camper cause I do not have to listen in the car to things like heavy metal or some such.....I actually really enjoy show music too. They do not listen to that as much with local friends though. But my younger one attends theater camp and we are in middle of packing up and the CDs are all going and you can be sure that all her friends there will also want to listen to this music. So, my kids would likely enjoy your daughter's taste real fine. The only thing, particulary with my 14 year old, is that when she gets into a certain show/CD, I have to hear it over and over again. And while I love them all, ANY CD zillions of times in a row can get to me. I have been through many phases like that in car rides (we spend huge amt. of time in car to activities).....there was the Ragtime phase, Rent phase, Hairspray, Merrily We Roll Along, Into the Woods, Movin' Out and so on....I knew every little bit of those CDs during their favorite phase periods.

Susan

By Thedad (Thedad) on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 02:44 am: Edit

I never understood why "Rap" was spelled the way it is...I understand the "c" is silent but shouldn't it be right there in the word?

TheDad, Curmudgeon In-Training

By Medprof (Medprof) on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 08:14 am: Edit

American Pie was like a theme song when my D attended CTY at Skidmore. It's the last song they played at the dance.

By Autodidact (Autodidact) on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 10:15 am: Edit

Our kids may march to different drummers, but my guess is they'd make a fantastic band if they were all assembled! I see lots of similarities among those posting with my own daughters, particularly D1. Little House (in syndication) was the only show they routinely watched while growing up. My guess is there is also a strong following for Gilmore Girls, Seventh Heaven, West Wing, and Alias out there, too. Then there's the fringe shows which hold a morbid fascination/cultural identity which the kids either love or ridicule, depending on their bent. Gilmore Girls totally annoyed D1 with college acceptance scenario--not realistic timing or expectations, she says. Anyone visiting our house or riding in our car had better not be a zenophobe, because you're just as apt to hear Greek or Italian as English--or a foreign language tape for whatever the current exploration is whether French, Portuguese, or Japanese. Only thing we can't agree on is Josh Groban. I really like his music, D1 says his pronounciation and accent in Italian needs work. My predominant opinion on rap is similar to thedad's--but there is that once in a blue moon song that has an infectious enough beat to allow you to tune out the lyrics (generally an oxymoron in this association, since most seem to be vocabulary challenged and discordant), and enjoy the instrumental components. Harry Potter would be a great subject for English Lit. We had nothing but standard fare in our high school, way back when.

By Hautbois (Hautbois) on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 12:33 pm: Edit

Actually my D doesn't like G Girls; she thinks the mom needs to "grow up" and feels bad that the daughter has to act as parent. I haven't watched it enough to pass judgment; we don't allow a lot of TV here (we are, after all, the "strictest parents in the world"), and when school is in session there's no TV on weeknights, for the most part. The kids simply don't have time! We mainly watch Simpsons (a show I had originally banned, which cracks the kids up) and the kids watch the Sunday evening shows that surround Simpsons as well. We used to sit and watch shows with the kids mainly so we could talk to them about commercials and the ploys that they use. Well, that and comment on the stuff that just isn't "real" on the shows. (Speaking of which, my kids detest the "reality" shows.) Now I love to listen to my kids comment as they watch the tube. Critics, they are!

And now it's middle school promotion day; we have the joy of sitting out in the sun for the 1:00 event. Our D graduated from HS on Monday. Our UCLA child arrived here last Saturday. Lots of activity around here!

By Thedad (Thedad) on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 01:04 pm: Edit

Back when, as part of our compromise, we lived in too-small apartments to make things work economically while getting D into a good public school system, it was impossible to have the TV on without providing a distraction when D was doing homework.

Now, truth to be told, we never watched a lot anyway: 60 Minutes, Murder She Hoped, Hill Street Blues. I really got sucked into Twin Peaks and was absolutely infuriated at the ending...wanted to hurl David Lynch [the writer/director] through the set. That was the last show I watched regularly.

Anyway, starting when D was in 6th grade, the household rule was the TV wasn't on when D was doing homework. Since she was routinely doing homework when she wasn't at dance, the TV was rarely on, with the exception of election night or something similar.

Main uses are for playing videotape/DVD movies, watching some college football games, and upon occasion, CNN. We've never seen an episode of "Friends," "The Simpsons," "Cheers," "Seventh Heaven," or any of the others. D doesn't seem to feel culturally deprived and I get at least some of it by reading the parodies in MAD Magazine.

I do think the dearth of TV has been a major assist to D's academic performance.

As a side note, there was an article in the LA TIMES other day about the girl who plays the President's daughter in "The West Wing." [See, we *do* hear of these things.] She's a few years older than D and was a very good ballet dancer in D's studio before switching to acting at about age 13 or 14.


I better stop now before I get to be as much as a crank as MT is on other subjects.

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 10:09 pm: Edit

Thedad: speaking of that silent "C" in rap music...

My daughter informs me that part of a recent conversation with "an older relative" included a line of questioning that included, "Do you like Barbra Streisand or do you like that Rock 'n Roll cr_p?" which is kind of a loaded question to ask of an 18 year old.

I guess my 10,000th replay of "That'll Be the Day" made poor old Mom snap one fateful day long ago. You know... come to think of it... it might have been that copy of "Come Go With Me" that the needle eventually wore right through.

-----

Both my daughters are huge fans of Paul McCartney, which makes me feel that I must have lived right.

Also, every few months they sense it's time to play "An American Tune"---and watch Dad slip away into some fading memory.

Having children that love your music... it doesn't get any better than that!

By Momcat (Momcat) on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 11:28 pm: Edit

My son has become very similar to his mother in his eclectic tastes in music. Recently he's developed an interest in "classic" rock and roll (i.e. "oldies"). He's still able to appreciate any finely created musical piece though. Recently we listened to the operatic solo (don't know the performer) from the "Fifth Element" movie. He was blown away by what a remarkable instrument her voice is.

A few years ago, I was able to take my son to a private recording session with Nine Inch Nails (stop snickering, I'm a fan). I earned serious "cool mom" points for that one.

My daughter, being a dancer of several disciplines, prefers pop and musical theater-type songs. Lately, she's been listening to... disco. I'm hoping this is a phase.

By Thedad (Thedad) on Thursday, June 19, 2003 - 12:10 am: Edit

Oh...my sympathies. I think that if the submachine gun had not already been invented, Donna Summer would have provided ample justification. There was one period before a Spring ballet show where those of us watching ballet classes would hear the music coming out of the studio where the lower jazz students were rehearsing...over and over and over and over and over and over again...don't know the name of the tune ("Hot Sugar Tonight"?) but it was one of Summer's biggies. I wanted to go in and smash the CD player, the speakers, rip wiring out of the wall, take a blowtorch to the CD....

MT, it could have been worse...it could have been Perry Como.

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Thursday, June 19, 2003 - 01:00 am: Edit

Come to think of it, there was a short period when my girls listened to Lawrence Welk re-runs.

Forgot about that...

By Thedad (Thedad) on Thursday, June 19, 2003 - 01:38 am: Edit

I thought you were going to say "Hootenanny."

Btw, have you told your wife yet that you're graceful?

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Thursday, June 19, 2003 - 08:18 am: Edit

"Hootenanny"????? ---Just the fact that I can recall some blurry details is very embarrassing.

Btw: don't need to...

By Shennie (Shennie) on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 02:20 pm: Edit

No - I have you all beat. My son, the classical cellist, has a true passion for classical music. And then on top of that his other true musical passion is Death Metal. I don't even know what Death Metal is, but it sounds awful. (He has learned to listen to it with headphones when I am around.) He loves to go to concerts with mosh pits. He can't wait to go to Ozfest this summer. Ah well - you try and try to raise them right...

By O71394658 (O71394658) on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 03:42 pm: Edit

Ozzfest isn't metal.

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 03:45 pm: Edit

Oh dear... now I've got a lot of re-filing to do!

By Momof2 (Momof2) on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 04:01 pm: Edit

I feel much better now. My son the classical musician is attracted to zydeco - says it keeps him awake while driving. I was afraid it was one of those signs of a personality disorder.

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 04:39 pm: Edit

Does Ozzfest go in with my Ozzie Nelson albums?

By Hautbois (Hautbois) on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 04:40 pm: Edit

As some of you know, I'm a symphony/ballet/opera musician. Some of my colleagues roll their eyes when they hear that I love Sondheim, as we "classical" (dislike that misnomer) musicians are supposed to disdain musical theater. (I will admit to not having much admiration for Sir ALW, though, which at least gets me a bit out of the gutter in their eyes!)

One person's music is another's noise.

Although, of course, if I deem something awful it certainly must be awful ... right?!

By Shennie (Shennie) on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 05:16 pm: Edit

Momof2 - Zydeco is not bad. I can handle that, but then my dad is Cajun so I think there is a bit of a genetic link...

By Momof2 (Momof2) on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 05:35 pm: Edit

Hmmm, maybe that's why I like (some) Celtic music...never thought about it. I agree, Zydeco is much MUCH better than C&W. I only hope it doesn't increase his speed while driving! Years ago, I used to clean house to the Osipov(?) Balalaika Orchestra, so who am I to comment?

By Thedad (Thedad) on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 06:48 pm: Edit

Balalaika Orchestra? Wow. My ancestors swept the steppes with balalaika and saber...it would have gone faster if they'd used brooms...the strings kept breaking and the blades would bend...it was a mess, I tell ya.

By Sirmoreau (Sirmoreau) on Sunday, June 22, 2003 - 10:45 pm: Edit

silent "C" in rap music... absolutely hilarous. Tupac had some good rap music though, California Love! Excellent song. Most the rap artist todays rap about materialistic items and aren't true to themselves, they ought to rap about thier own lives you know..bring the music to a much more realistic level.

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Sunday, June 22, 2003 - 11:54 pm: Edit

"they ought to rap about their own lives"

Oh yes! Where can I get some of that?

By Raskolnikov (Raskolnikov) on Monday, June 23, 2003 - 04:11 pm: Edit

Rap music (yes it is music) is not crap. Some people, especially on this site, may think it is but they should kindly refrain from insulting millions of people around the world who do listen to it. Besides, I could find many people who will swear that Dylan's music is crap. Does that mean it is? Or does TheDad's opinion alone become fact for everyone?

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Monday, June 23, 2003 - 04:35 pm: Edit

I don't like gangsta rap and I think that is what many of the kids are listening too. I don't like anything that demeans others and uses language that I would not accept in my home.
My daughter has a 50 cent cd, I don't know where she got it, but that itsn't music in my mind.
I like rock, mostly alternative rock, but also zydeco, celtic, carribean, salsa well lets just say 'world" music.

I am kicking myself that I didn't go see Pearl jam when they kicked off their tour since they were playing in such a small venue and I was so busy. Now I don't know when they are coming back to Seattle.
I never used to like them that much, but I listened to a DJ who said they were fantastic in concert. He was right- WOW. Ihave seen them three times in the last 5 years and have been buying up their "bootlegs".

I don't have a cd player in my car, and that is where I spend alot of my time, but I recently found a CD of Climax blues band that made me very happy, and my husband had a CD made out of one of my LPs of old dirty blues to boot!

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Monday, June 23, 2003 - 04:38 pm: Edit

Rap music is definately not crap. The C is silent... remember?

Yes we should all be more tolerant of other people's tastes in music. Amen.

But, you know, I cannot remember ever sitting at a stoplight and having some car pull along side--with "Lay Lady Lay" playing on the stereo at 375db.

Usually, when you encounter that intensity of volume, when the sub-bass tends to form instaneous potholes in the pavement, make the paint fall off your car, and increase the Excedrin sales city-wide---one type of music is usually in evidence.... and then the C is not silent.

By Momof2 (Momof2) on Monday, June 23, 2003 - 04:58 pm: Edit

My favorite response to the stoplight thing: Pop in one of my S's drum corps finals CDs with the screaming jazz trumpets, (uh, sorry, that's sopranos) and roll the window down a bit. Guarantee it's an attention getter and window rattler.

Of course, I turn it down or off immediately after pulling away....

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Monday, June 23, 2003 - 05:01 pm: Edit

OK! 'Fess up! How many of you get your music early in the morning?.... on the radio? ...and preceeded by:

"Hel-lo everyone........... As I am sure most of you are familiar with... Anton Kreitchevskislav's 28th Piano....blah, blah, blah.... blah..... (long pause...)"

By Thedad (Thedad) on Monday, June 23, 2003 - 05:21 pm: Edit

Anyone is welcome to feel insulted if they wish.
Di gustibus non disputandum est.

Rap makes even disco sound good.

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Monday, June 23, 2003 - 05:44 pm: Edit

Bad music is bad music to me, irrespective of genre.

I have my favorites, but a friend who is more a musician than I since he is the conductor of one of the best high school symphony orchestras in the world and is currently on tour in Japan and China, lets his kids listen to whatever they want, including 50cent and Lil' Kim.
It is so much more attractive when you forbid it I imagine.
I just remember my Betsey Johnson outfits from high school and sigh with relief my girls don't dress like their momma!

By Hautbois (Hautbois) on Monday, June 23, 2003 - 08:17 pm: Edit

Well, here I am, this "classical" musician and I actually like some rap. How 'bout that?

To each her own. His own too.

There is some music I can't stand, but as long as no one forces me to listen they can listen to what they want. I'll probably look down on them and know they are bad people ... but I won't let them know. (Insert grin and "just kidding" here, okay?)

By Sirmoreau (Sirmoreau) on Monday, June 23, 2003 - 10:40 pm: Edit

Morgantruce, you're hilarious dude......so are you Thedad. You guys sure have some funny sides when you let the guard down.

"But, you know, I cannot remember ever sitting at a stoplight and having some car pull along side--with "Lay Lady Lay" playing on the stereo at 375db."

--That honestly made me laugh out loud, I got the best visual out of that.

50 cent is crap - IN DA CLUB and LiL Kim - probably some dirty song. You know what is far worst then rap....POP....its the devil, it is dumbifying the children.


"they ought to rap about their own lives"

-- I just meant for them to rap about some serious subject matter, opposed to some crap like "big booty hoes" or "my huge rims"...Clapton man..that guy is a lyrical god - he'd write truly "deep" songs relating to his own life.

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Tuesday, June 24, 2003 - 01:16 am: Edit

Clapton era Derek and the Dominoes or Cream was good
Clapton "tears in heaven" is pap.

Kurt Cobain- he could write

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Tuesday, June 24, 2003 - 02:04 am: Edit

I have to admit I used to really like Clapton, I treasure an album I have featuring Jeff Beck, Clapton and Jimmy Page, and I fondly remember a concert only three rows back, but as I get older, I have a harder time seperating the artist from the art. A reason why I did not jump up to see the Polanski film that everyone was raving about, ( which I also heard was overrated- just because it is "about" the Holocaust does not make it "art" ) and I why I cannot understand how people like Elton John can be "friends" with Eminem.

( I know that Cobain had his own demons obviously but I cut him more slack because of his age)

OK This has made me look through my old LPs very eclectic. Ted Nugent alongside of Meet the Beatles and Jean Pierre rampal next to E W & F and Linda Ronstant and Hoyt Axton. I am hoping I get some slack considering that I wasn't even 20 when I collected most of them- and I have apparently lost my Monkees records somewhere along the way.

Hmm to bring this back on track-
I imagine no one ever dreamed the fashion of the 70's would again be popular- ( was there a reason to bring back Charlies Angels?), how long do you think that it will take for pants 20x too big to go out and come in again?

By Sirmoreau (Sirmoreau) on Tuesday, June 24, 2003 - 02:13 am: Edit

I cannot understand how people like Elton John can be "friends" with Eminem.


This wasn't about friendship - this was Eminem showing the world, when he says "gay" or "says kill a fag" it doesn't mean he auctually wants to do it....and he was showing respect by being on stage with Elton John at the same time.


Does anyone here like Country music? Brooks and Dunn has some really good music..and Tim Mcgraw, I bet your daughters have loved Tim Mcgraw at somepoint.

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Tuesday, June 24, 2003 - 10:18 am: Edit

this wasn't about friendship - this was Eminem showing the world, when he says "gay" or "says kill a fag" it doesn't mean he auctually wants to do it....and he was showing respect by being on stage with Elton John at the same time

So giving homophobes violent fantasies an outlet and a rallying cry is just to make a buck?

O h well then, as long as it sells records, it is alright

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Tuesday, June 24, 2003 - 10:28 am: Edit

Hoyt Axton is about as country as I have ever went
although I may buy some Dixie Chicks Cds just to show my support of the 1st Amendment.

My husband does have some Johnny Cash, though and maybe some Hank Williams- he grew up listening to country & Elvis, I grew up with season tickets to the symphony and the opera.

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Tuesday, June 24, 2003 - 11:08 am: Edit

Driving northward on I-95 from the depths of south Florida, my then-young family had to make a choice that now seems like a major cross roads. I leaned back over the driver's seat and said to my 7 and 9 year old daughters, "Just up ahead we can turn to the right to the Kennedy Space Center... or to the left to Disney World. Which ONE would you girls like to see?" My wife glanced over at me like I had lost my mind!

We both braced ourselves and listened to the little discussions going on in the back seat. Then both girls started whispering: secret negotiations in closed chambers...

Then, just as the exit came up which required some kind of driving decision, a loud dual-cheer of "Space Center! Space Center!" came roaring from the back seat.

Pulling off on that exit, we knew that our offspring's tastes were more than just amusing: we knew that everything ahead was up for grabs.

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Tuesday, June 24, 2003 - 11:26 am: Edit

My kids have never been to Disney anything, much to the mystification of my inlaws. My sister in law in fact went to Disneyland with her husband when her daughter was 4 years old, pretty common you say? well, until you realize she left her 4 yr old with her grandparents!


Real life is often more compelling than make believe
although I am all for fantasy, indeed I think some fiction can be truer than fact, think of the truths in fairy and folk tales, but why spend time and money on artifice when you have more exciting options?

By Momof2 (Momof2) on Tuesday, June 24, 2003 - 11:51 am: Edit

My boys went to Disney on a school trip (thankfully) and spent all the time they could at Epcot. Other than that, neither has recommended it for a family trip. One thing they never want to pass up is a Frank Lloyd Wright building or museum. They've been known to ask for a slight, 2-state detour in order to visit one. And this started back in elementary school - just a matter of taste, I guess.

By Shennie (Shennie) on Tuesday, June 24, 2003 - 03:09 pm: Edit

Momof2 - If your boys are still into Frank Lloyd Wright, bring them up here to Madison, WI. There are lots of his buildings here, including our new convention center which was a modification of one of his designs. Also, Taliesin is only about 40 miles west of here.

By Sirmoreau (Sirmoreau) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 02:08 am: Edit

I went to Talesin West in Scottsdale, it was much better than Disneyland. I recall being four years old and not being able to go on the electric train. I was very disappointed, mainly because I had just built the electric lego train at home. The main reason I couldn't go on it was because my parents wanted to go eat food and were sick of Disneyland..Once agaib I was four years old and therefore had a difficult time comprehending why one would rather eat than go an electric train. I believe you can have a good time at Disneyland if you go into it with the proper mindset and allow for your kids to whatever pleases them the most! I felt a childs point of view was desperately needed in this adult conversation. Thanks for your time and keep on truckin.

By Momof2 (Momof2) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 10:59 am: Edit

Hey, thanks for the info. We DID vist Taliesin once on a "side-trip" from Texas to Chicago - some of our best experiences have been on those spur of the moment jaunts. It was beautiful, even on a steamy August day.

SirM - our kids probably enjoyed Disney a lot more with their friends than they would have with parents. I think they may be ready to return with their own families (!) someday. Actually, their very favorite theme park (or whatever) experience was Colonial Williamsburg all day, followed by a short trip to Busch Gardens in the evenings, when the heat let up. We highly recommend the multi-day package tickets. Would do it again in a heartbeat if we get the chance.