Do you ever stop and think about how the music you're listening to effects your mood? What songs come to mind when you are angry, upset, happy, excited...? Our lives, more than ever before, are flooded with music all the time. Pay attention at the grocery or the mall - music in the background. Listen when you're out to eat - music. We have even learned that we just cannot be alone in our homes without noise. I remember what it was like when I lived alone - I had the television on all the time.
I love music. I love the way my kids light up when a favorite song comes on the radio. I love that my 2 year old recognizes some music as "worship". It plays a huge part in our family life. Sometimes, however, I forget just how powerful music can be. I even forget that sometimes positive, happy music can bring me down.
See, I've discovered that for myself, when I am listening to praise music, worship music - God music - I am in a better state mentally and emotionally than when I am listening to other music (even happy kid music). I need that external influence at times to keep me balanced. I see so many messages all around me that I need a way to help me focus on truth.
So we set the tone. I have discovered in my home that when we play music, my children behave differently than when we don't. When we play music with a positive message, they behave differently than when we play popular music. If I turn the radio on t accomplish a lot more around the house than when the radio is off.
Isn't it neat that I get to set the tone in my home. I can change my mood, my kid's behaviors, their moods, my behaviors... everything about the way our house functions, simply by choosing the right music.
You know what else? Music sticks with us for a long time. Randy laughs at me a lot because of the strange songs I pull out of my head from when I was a child - they stuck with me. They helped form who I am. Even the kids at camp know that I was formed in part by a song about tooth brushing. The music I choose for my children to listen to today will effect their behaviors next week, next year - 20 years from now.
What a big responsibility!
How do you set the tone at your house? Do you have a favorite CD that you go to again and again? What music sticks with you from childhood?
Both my boys love jazz. I used to listen to jazz when I was pregnant with them, though I don't think that's the reason why they like it. My preschooler loves to sing and will often requests songs to be played while we are running errands. I grew up in the 80s, so 80s songs have stuck with me. I do want to expose my kids to different genres of music. I just hope that they have an appreciation for the art and not just gravitate towards one band or type of music.
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