Beastie Boys "Get It Together"

It took me a little aback, but then it made me laugh out loud.

My 2 1/2 year old boy said, "What's up with boots on your feet!"

Part of the excitement just came from the pure joy of how much this kid has to say.  When we was 18 months old, we had him tested, because he didn't seem to have the words that his peers had.

Long story short, after a battery of tests, the speech folks basically said, "Oh he could talk.  He just doesn't want to."

Cut to a year later, and he is a talker.  He talks and talks and talks.  Tells stories.  Repeats things.  He's hard to understand, especially if you aren't used to translating his kid-speak.  But it is really entertaining to be his Dad.

I've mentioned before that there are phrases that we use around the house that the kids have no context for, but will one day hear it in a song and realized that's why my parents said "Get crazy with the Cheez Whiz"!!!

When winter started, we got our growing boy a new pair of boots as his every day shoes, to replace his summer sneakers.  He's a stubborn thing (as evidenced by the early unwillingness to speak), and sometimes getting him to sit still while you put on his shoes is a bit of a battle.

So I'll talk to him and try to make it fun.  Occasionally, I'll shout out a lyric from The Beastie Boys song called "Get It Together."

"Yo, what's up with the boots on your feet!"

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he'd eventually parrot that back to me.  But it was delightful to actually have it happen.

I was an excited Gen-X Dad.

So I went straight to iTunes, and explained to him, and my 5 year old daughter, that "What's up with the boots on your feet" is part of a song, and I would play it for them now.

And that's where things went south.

It's been a while since I put on "Ill Communication."  But more than that, I don't think you really hear a song, until you've heard it with your kids.

Now generally, we don't censor the music around the house.  We'll play the unedited "Little Lion Man" or "Fuck You."  If you don't make a big deal of it, it won't be a big deal for the kids.

But I don't think I've ever really considered what to say about lines like: "Yes I'm Getting Funky And I'm Shooting All My Jism/Like John Holmes, The X-rated Nigger/Listen To The Shit 'Cause I'm The Ill Figure"?

I can argue about context all day, but I don't think I can explain a line like that to my kids.

And MAN, I don't think I realized how long it would take to get to that one "What's Up" line in the song.  The tune seemed to go on and on, as I was saying to the kids, "Just wait, that 'Boots' lyric is coming up!  Really, next verse!  Here it comes!  Keep listening!"

Meanwhile, "fucks" and "shits" and "niggers" are flying through the speakers, and I'm getting more uncomfortable by the moment.

Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.  But I won't be playing that one again for the kids any time soon.

It sends the wrong message.  That is, I got the Ill Communication.


Hear the song on Youtube.