Music

There are many different ways to help our kids develop these essential life skills, and I’ve found some that are easy, fun, and “doable” even with a busy schedule.

The first one that I want to talk about is music. Children respond so much to music and dancing. Music can help set the mood in your house. We play classical music when we have breakfast. It is very calming and soothing. We also play music that is fun and uplifting, and we take the time to dance. Kids have tons of energy and need to move their bodies to release that energy. Dancing is a great way to get them moving and release any extra energy. If they have too much energy running through their bodies, it can cause them to be hyper or even destructive.

Decades ago, music was more uplifting than it is now. I like to listen to hip hop and pop music on the radio, but unfortunately it doesn’t have the same vibration as it used to. It doesn’t have the same “feel good” messages that songs from the 60’s, 70’s, or even the 80’s had. So we only keep it on if it’s uplifting.

You see, it is important to listen to the lyrics in songs. There is a song from Kesha where she sings, “We’re going to die young.” This is not a good statement that anyone wants to have running in their heads. We need to pick the right kind of music—music that gives messages of empowerment.

We make sure the music that our children hear is fun, and that it is also not creating negativity in their minds. Songs get in your head. Do you ever wake up in the morning to your radio alarm clock, and then you can’t get that song out of your head all day long? Or go to Disneyland and hear “It’s a Small World”? What happens?

It stays in your head all day long.

Now, I’m not saying that you have to listen to Barney’s “I Love You…You Love Me” song all day long. That’s enough to drive anyone crazy. So, create some playlists that are fun for you and also fun for your kids. If you like classic rock—which I hope you do—there’s tons to pick from there.

Pick songs like “Twist and Shout” by the Beatles, “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys, “One Love” by Bob Marley, “I’ve Had the Time of My Life,” by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John, “Life’s Been Good” by Joe Walsh, “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey, and “Renegade” by Styx.

If you like hip hop, consider songs like “Feel This Moment” by Pitbull and Christina Aguilera or “I Like How it Feels” by Enrique Iglesias. If you like country, you might want to include “You’re Gonna Miss This” by Trace Adkins.

Music is so powerful, and it’s a great way to entertain your kids by having them dance with it. And quite frankly, it’s a great source of entertainment for us, too, when we watch our kids dancing.

So just remember, when you’re in the car or listening to the radio, pay attention to what your kids are hearing in the songs. They will repeat it, and it will play over and over again in their heads like it does ours. When this happens, the lyrics actually work like affirmations…