2.26.2010

Thwarting Taylor Swift

I like music. A lot. My collection is eclectic and vast. Tori Amos? Yep. Jimmy Buffet? More, please! Back Street Boys? Why not. Gustav Mahler? Oh yeah. Garth Brooks? Sure! Johnny Cash? He’s money. They Might Be Giants? They might be AMAZING! Show Tunes? Sweet! The Killers? The Cure? The Corrs? The Eagles? The Fray? The Beatles? The Smiths? The Who? You get the point. I didn’t expect to get a lesson in taste and variety from my preschooler.

When he was born, it was clear Finn loved music, it made him laugh. The laughing made him bounce. The bouncing made him toot. The tooting made him laugh. Circle of music, a silly, silly circle. When he fell for blue grass, I was delighted to learn I loved it, too. The rapid rhythms, the twanging banjos, the shrill ukuleles. We listened to classics, folk, updates, great stuff! Next, he decided Eric Clapton was it, banging guitars, slightly inappropriate lyrics, enticing tunes. For a potty training present, he wanted a guitar of his own. When he got his ukulele, at 2 ½, his concentration was intense and slightly disturbing. I mean, what kind of 2 year old has an attention span beyond 10 minutes? And how on earth has that little wooden thing made it more than a year without breaking? Is this normal? Okay, I didn’t think so.

But the trend took a disturbing turn. About two months ago, he asked me if I had any Hannah Montana. Who? I just misheard, right? “Hannah Montana!” he repeated, with a country twang. Oh, good gods. When I said no, he pressed, “What about Jonas Brothers?” Are you kidding me!?! I came home from work one Sunday night and he bounded to the door. “Guess what daddy bought me at Target?!” My soul eked out an out of tune “noooooo!” but my mommy voice was in perfect pitch. “What did you get, Sweetie?”

“Taylor Swift!”

It wasn’t so much a musician’s name as a battle cry, the lines were clearly drawn. Me and a country pop princess. She was armed with flowing blond hair, a huge guitar, and catchy tunes. I was armed with, well, limited control of the CD player, and a recently highlighted shoulder length bob. The clear favorite. But, how could I let him listen to that? How could I stop him? Go ahead. Try to tell your three year old they can’t listen to syrup pop. Seriously.

Blow drying my hair this morning, I heard the music coming from the kitchen. His voice bounced off the wood floors and echoed in the stairs, “you belong with meeeeeee, you belong with me.” When I rounded the corner, there he was rocking out a killer air guitar, complete with a ten-fingered attack. Nude. That’s right, folks. I’m raising the next Naked Cowboy.

“Where are your clothes?” I shouted above Ms. Swift, bearing in mind that my friends call me a “laid back mom.” Ha! In the midst of my shock, the song ended and Finn put down his imaginary guitar.

“Taylor Swift said that I belong to her,” he grinned. I did, too.

“Wow. Really?”

“Yeah, but I told her no,” he said.

“Why's that?”

“Because, I belong to youuuuuu, I belong to you!” he sang.

Take that, Swift!

14 comments:

  1. That was great! Very funny and sweet, too.

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  2. There's nothing wrong with singing naked to Taylor Swift playing air guitar!!!

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  3. *holds lighter aloft*

    ROCK ON, FINN! Vyolette will be your backup singer, she loves music nearly as much as he does!

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  4. Thanks, Kathy! Ray, of course not. Will you demonstrate? ;)

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  5. I agree with Sara - Ray needs to demonstrate his air guitar technique.

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  6. Now if that doesn't tug at the heartstrings, I don't know what does. Adorable!

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  7. Like Ray said, there's nothing wrong with singing to a naked Taylor Swift.

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  8. Awesome! But if you diss the Jo Bro's again I'm going to have to get stabby.

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  9. Harley, I don't know how you did it, but I love you already. Run away with me? ;)

    Haggis, you dirty old dog!

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  10. Sara, how stinking CUTE! Daniel used to have a ukelele. (Remember me telling you about "Yippie I Oh Car Yay!"? LOL ) Grab all these memories and put them into a safe place.

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  11. A wonderful story!! I love it! Congrats on having a little musician in your midst!

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  12. most of my guy friends love Taylor Swift
    but wait, its most likely to be a phase

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  13. Cute! I love that song (and her) -- and I have to say I'm so glad you put your foot down on HM, bleck.

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  14. Adorable!! And I heart Taylor :)

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