ItвЂ™s the 24/7 switched on-ness of our world. It isnвЂ™t 50 Shades of Grey or the shirtless Twilight werewolf boy or Fitz talking dirty to Olivia Pope on Scandal. The problem isnвЂ™t BeyoncГ© singing вЂњSurfbordtвЂќ while gyrating on the beach or Rihanna in her panties shrieking about chains and whips.

BUT- back then, it was more difficult for children to gain access to that stuff, and thatвЂ™s where the real issue lies- access. Post-вЂњDeep ThroatвЂќ era movies incorporated their fair share of sex. Back then, rock вЂn roll was all about sex. But, upon reflection, I wouldnвЂ™t say that itвЂ™s a simple issue of the music and movies that we see these days being vastly more sexual than stuff was in say, my parentsвЂ™ heyday of the 80s. I see the effects of the hypersexualization of pop culture and the media in the past 30 years or so ( thanks, Madonna) on me and on them and it makes me downright terrified about how itвЂ™s going to be 11 years from now when Elliott is 15. Seventeen years is a very significant age difference and, while 20 and 26 may not be so different, 11 and 17 were light years apart. I look at my younger sisters, ages nine and 20, and the way pop culture has influenced their upbringing versus my own. I think about the future, relative to my kids, fairly often. вЂњBaby, when weвЂ™re grindinвЂ™ I get so excited. I recall knowing every single word to 1997вЂ™s smash hit вЂњToo CloseвЂќ by the one hit wonder R&B group Next at age 8 or 9, and having absolutely no cognizance of what any of it meant. I remember mumbling my way through вЂњHotel CaliforniaвЂќ by the Eagles at a very young age. When I reflect back on my own childhood, I have no memory of вЂњchildrenвЂ™s songsвЂќ outside of my kindergarten class singing the Raffi classic вЂњApples and BananasвЂќ (which is on the Tiny Turn Up playlist, bee-tee-dubs). And sometimes, itвЂ™s a welcome respite from вЂњLet it go, let it goooo.вЂќ But still, it gives me feelings. I suppose it could be a lot worse, as far as songs on the radio for a four year old girl to sing along to go, and she doesnвЂ™t have a clue what the song is about. True body acceptance doesnвЂ™t require telling вЂњthem skinny bitchesвЂќ anything or bashing вЂњstick figure silicone Barbie dolls,вЂќ and as a self-declared feminist, I canвЂ™t help but wince when I hear the misguided attempt at countering the mediaвЂ™s obsession with skinny white girls. While I agree with the surface message of the song, the self-love and body appreciation seemingly-girl power tone of it all, I also find it a bit grating. Her knowledge of the lyrics only go as far as вЂњAll about that bass, bout that bass, no trouble (NOT treble),вЂќ but itвЂ™s still a strange feeling to hear my child singing a song about вЂњbringing booty back.вЂќ Recently, though, I had to add вЂњAll About That BassвЂќ to the playlist because Elliott refused to stop screaming during our car rides until she heard it. remix of various вЂњpopularвЂќ (meaning: at least five to ten years old), vaguely hip hop-esque songs, before throwing handfuls of tickets into the air and running in the opposite direction as quickly as possible while a mob of six-to-eight year-old boys trample the toddlers and smaller kids who donвЂ™t know enough to care about the tickets.)

CheeseвЂ™s one time and apparently, the poor teenager whose job it is to schlep around in the giant rat costume for what I can only assume is minimum wage also has to spend a few minutes every hour or two performing a line dance with the kids to a Chuck E.

(ItвЂ™s mainly the Despicable Me, Yo Gabba Gabba, and Frozen soundtracks with some Raffi staples and a dash of the вЂњCupid ShuffleвЂќ because we went to Chuck E. In the car, we listen to a special Spotify playlist called вЂњTiny Turn Up: ElliottвЂ™s JamzвЂќ with music that I find acceptable for the kids. While IвЂ™d be lying if I said I havenвЂ™t listened to the song a few times (darn you, catchy doo-wop melodies!), I donвЂ™t make it a habit to listen to a lot of вЂњmy musicвЂќ around my kids. IвЂ™m not exactly sure how, but at some point recently, my 4 year old daughter, Elliott, learned some of the words to вЂњAll About That BassвЂќ by Meghan Trainor.

Trouble with treble line dance