Saturday, March 29, 2008

Radio Waves

I love listening to the radio while I'm driving in the car. My usual fare is talk radio. But sometimes I like listening to music. And when the kids are in the car, they find the talk radio shows quite boring so I end up switching to the music, our favorite genre being rock/alternative or for one person in particular, the quite grating, Radio Dis*ney.



I'm very selective about what is playing while the kids are around. For sure, no swear words (those usually get bleeped out anyway, but sometimes they sneak in), and no songs about sleeping around, drug use, or dark/suicidal thoughts. I think that eliminates most songs that are out nowadays, right?



What I have found is that while listening to the radio, I now need to be aware of what kind of talk goes on in between songs. For a long time, I haven't listened to morning talk on the music stations because they have a lot of silly talk. Talking about parties they went to, how drunk they got, the latest on Britney Spears, etc. etc. Talk that doesn't make me think, other than thinking, how shallow these peoples' lives are (IMHO). Now I hear DJ's frequently tossing around off-color words. Words like (you can guess what I'm alluding to) donkey, female dog, and of course the favorite, taking the Lord's name in vain.



I think our society has gotten so used to this kind of talk that we don't think twice about it. I don't remember radio being that way, but maybe I'm just now noticing it. I thought the FCC regulated that kind of stuff.



I know that my kids will hear all this kind of talk eventually, but I'm trying to shelter their ears as much as I can so it doesn't become part of their everyday language, it doesn't become, "But, everyone talks like that!" I am reminded of the children's song, Oh, Be Careful Little Ears. I think that's what it's called.

Oh, be careful little ears, what you hear
Oh, be careful little ears, what you hear
For the Father up above,
is looking down in love,
So be careful little ears
what you hear.




One good thing about driving my big monster SUV rental (yes, I'm still driving it, no incidents, yea!) is that it has Sirius satellite radio. So I've been able to listen to EWTN radio, much to my children's chagrin. I love being able to listen to Catholic talk while I drive! We don't have Catholic radio here so this has been a blessing!



Here are some things that I've done to make our listening more safe:



Bring CD's from our own collection. We download songs that we really like and burn them onto the CD so that we can hear current songs (lyrics have been checked out) without having to listen to any DJ talk.



Listen to Christian music stations.



Listen to classical music, although the kids don't care for this one too much. I put a classical station on when there is too much bickering going on. That causes them to settle down.



Then of course, the most obvious choice when I've had it with noise, TURN THE RADIO OFF! PERIOD! That one can be nice, too. It clears your head.

No foul language should come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for needed edification, that it may impart grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29

7 comments:

Tracy said...

My husband has sirius in his car so I love driving his car and listening to EWTN!! If I have to drive my van I listen to Catholic radio or a cd with my favorite christian singer.

Anonymous said...

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2

You are so right Lisa, as Christian women we always have to be on the alert to what we watch (TV) and the radio, even what we read. It is so easy to let ones guard down and start drifting into the ways of the world. I always struggle with this and Praise God the Spirit will always start whispering, "should you be watching (listening, reading)to this?" I too listen to Christian radio. KWVE 107.9FM

A good example of one who kept himself free of worldly ways and influence was Daniel. No king's edict or fiery furnace could keep him from turning against His faith in God.

Jane (a.k.a. patjrsmom) said...

We just received the CD Beethoven's Wig from a friend and the kids just love it. It might be a nice intro to classical music that the kids actually enjoy!?

God Bless,
Jane

A Bit of the Blarney said...

You're right. And indeed the best thing to do is bring your own CD's. Have a grand evening...Cathy

Kim said...

Lisa, I have noticed the same stuff on the radio---the horrible lyrics, the questionable content of the "discussions" held by the DJs, etc. We hardly ever listen to the radio in the car. I try to listen to the Catholic radio station (they broadcast EWTN talk radio), but my kids majorly complain about that. Mostly, we end up listening to "The Backyardigans" CDs---which, thankfully, are actually incredibly good. Our whole family sings along, and we have a great time. :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Lisa. I agree with you on this post. My kids and I are in the car a lot. We have Sirius so I tend to listen to EWTN and the Catholic channel for That Catholic Guy. My kids want music so I usually change it when they get antsy. Before kids I rarely paid attention to lyrics. But now I notice everything, even if it's between the lines.
For music we use CD's or listen to the 70's channel on Sirius.
We have never listened to kids music because it's too annoying for driving and my kids don't really care for it.
It's great to find a fellow California blogger. Thanks for visiting my site too!

Michelle said...

Lisa, have you ever heard of Cat Chat? It's a series of CDs that sound like a Catholic radio program for children. One example covers mass, another discusses Mary, another the saints. My kids enjoy listening to them and singing the stories. Another good CD series is Glory Stories. These are all about the saints and there are even coloring books you can purchase so the kids can color while listening.