Songs. I got really keyed up because I had to talk about some serious stuff, and in the process of trying to calm down I decided I'm tired of always being terrified of cps and I showed my kid some videos of good music that happens to contain some cuss words. She was a little startled and I tried to explain that some things that can't be quoted in most settings are still culturally important or healthy to experience. That was probably a little over her head, but still.
When she was not even old enough to talk I once got reported for being a "satanist," and the resulting investigation used an acid bath cd and a salvador dali print as evidence against my being fit to parent her. Years later I got in trouble after she told somebody she heard the word "butt" in a pixies song. For real. For a decade I've been hypercareful about every tiny scrap of media I expose her to, but now we're so thoroughly in the system and documented that I'm pretty sure most of the government is glad they don't have to deal with us more than they already do. Most of the reports now are about bruises she gets from holds at school, which fortunately leaves a paper trail and a lot of witnesses.
Nothing we listened to today was overly aggressive or sad or scary, so I think it's okay. It was Dead Milkmen, Radiohead, Negativland, Queen, Elvis Costello, Motorhead, Madness, and a bunch of AV Club covers on youtube. I can't even think of what parts might not have been completely appropriate, but just not being scared is a big deal to me. I think most of the times I got reported or investigated it was by people who just didn't like who I am or who my kid is, and I let myself get strangled by the details they jumped on when they couldn't find anything actually wrong.
Even if music was somehow damaging my child, listening to it makes me a more complete person and a better parent. I also think a person's entertainment tastes are worth passing on to offspring. I'm really happy to be starting to do that even if I'm not always as brave about it as I was today.
