Dancing with my boys

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a music freak and knows my kids are crazy about music too.

Mostly, people know about this because I'm one of those annoying parents who has to update the whole world when my little guys sing, dance to, or verbally request a Beatles, Motorhead, or Thermals song (or even, you know, one of the kiddie classics like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star).

I just think it's the most amazing thing in the world.

Sharing our love of music and seeing their wide-eyed wonderment or baby booty-shakin' the first time they hear (or see and hear - thanks, YouTube) Ring of Fire, Three Little Birds, or Blitzkrieg Bop is beyond incredible.


My oldest little guy started out at 3 weeks or so by kicking his legs to The Chieftains' An Comhra Donn/Murphy's Hornpipe.
Later, he was changing Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy" to "I Want Mommy" and belting Green Day's Basket Case. Now, he belts his own songs about wanting to go to the park or not wanting to put his toys away (I think Jeffry Hyman would approve).


My youngest, post-arrival and early on preferred mostly reggae and namely Bob Marley but Toots, Gregory Isaacs, and Peter Tosh also made their way onto his customized playlist. Now, though he enjoys pretty much anything his older brother listens to, he's got "his" songs.


I'd like to think my beautiful wife and I have nurtured their inherent love of music through regular exposure by routine (i.e., I have different music on most of the time so they hear a lot of different music) but a lot of it is probably genetic.


Still, another theory is dancing.


By Ohio state law, I'm a wallflower, publicly but at home with my boys, I let my freak flag fly and pogo, twist n' shout and Molly Ringwald to anything and everything with a beat.


Exhibit A:


From on the knee to in my arms to on the floor, I dance with my kids.

In our old place, our kitchen floor doubled as a dance floor and in the warmer months, its large side window with its unencumbered view of the neighbor’s back yard was frequently open.

Once, I overheard our neighbor laugh and make some homophobic remark about dancing. (It must be hard being that ignorant.)
It's just a fun, joyful, and true expression of both, my love for them and my love for the music. It's also decent exercise if you let loose and go crazy for at least 20 minutes.

Whether you’re a music freak too or just a casual listener, I urge you to dance with your kids – boys and girls.

Rock ‘em, swing ‘em or sway ‘em.
Bop with ‘em, hop with ‘em or pop n’ lock with ‘em.
Just dance.

Maybe it will instill confidence in them, give them a healthier sense of self, remind them later on in life not to take themselves too seriously, or just to appreciate the little things.

I don’t know.

I’m not a child development specialist and I don’t have any supporting evidence on the positive impact of dance in a child’s life.
It just seems like a good idea and it feels right even if to others, it seems so wrong.

“…do the twist, the stomp, the mashed potatoes too/ any old dancing that you wanna’ do/ Oh, let’s dance” – Status Quo’s “Anniversary Waltz”