I subjected my son to 3 hours of "The Rachel Maddow Show" today.

[Pale Blue Dot]

I pod-cast Rachel's show, and due to my vacation, I had a week's worth of shows to catch up on. I used the occasion of my trip with my son to the New England Aquarium to catch up.

My son, 11, is already a good liberal (he recently bought an "A Texas village is missing its idiot" T-shirt with his own money and without prompting from me), but now he thinks that all Republicans are certifiably insane (and hilarious). His favorite? The argument made on the Senate floor that Stem-cell Research makes frozen embryos "sad".

Am I a good dad or a bad dad?

[ourbluenation]

1. GREAT DAD, big daddy!

:headbang:

[valerief]

2. Very good dad. n/t

[cynatnite]

3. As long as he's coming to these conclusions on his own

Grant it some of your values will rub off on him, but as children grow up they tend to think they're smarter than the parent. Be prepared for the day he comes up with something that leaves you to wonder who is the alien that took over your son's body.

My teenage daughter is anti-abortion and she's on the fence as to whether or not the government should abolish it. What do you do? :shrug:

P.S. I think she'll eventually come around.

[Pale Blue Dot]

6. Actually, my biggest concern is that

hatred of Bush has almost become a game with him and his friends. They spend a lot of time laughing about how stupid he is without any specifics about WHY they should feel that way.

In terms of parenting about politics, I've always believe that it is important to get kids involved without force-feeding them information. For instance, I've alway taken my son to the voting booth with me. If he asks, I tell him who I'm voting for. But I'm always careful to say that not everyone feels the way that I do, and that he should do his own investigation of the issues. I'm just one of many resources available. I believe that if we encourage intellectual honesty and self-research, kids will naturally become Democrats. It's worked out well so far.

[Jazzgirl]

4. You're a Mack Daddy and don't you forget it!

:headbang:

[Nevernose]

5. I hope you're proud of yourself!

No, seriously, I hope you're proud. Raise 'em right and start 'em young.

And what the heck is a "finnfan," anyway? Do you have some kind of affectation for the nation of Finland? Is that where you're from? Do they really eat moose jerky there? Can you buy moose jerky off the Internet(s)? Just how big is a wild moose in comparison to a human being?

[Pale Blue Dot]

7. Finnfan = Neil Finn

Member of the band Split Enz and founder of the band Crowded House (their big hits in 1986-87: "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Something So Strong".

He's a sensitive singer-songwriter who doesn't turn a blind eye all that makes us human, but he still believes in the power of love.

http://www.frenz.com/neilfinn/

[Nevernose]

11. I know the band, BUT... (and a small coincidence here)

...do you always refer to yourself in the third person? :;

Also: my stepfather, god rest his soul, was a drummer. A good one. Joe Williams, Frank Sinatra, Nat Cole, Ella Fitzgerald -- real old school stuff, but great nevertheless. He moved to Vegas in the early fifties because the New York venues wouldn't let Jews in the front door, and played for most of these people whenever they were in Vegas.

In the sixties he got a gig in L.A. playing for Capitol Records (which I noticed is your old label). It was supposed to be for one month only, while the regular session drummer was out sick or something. When he set up on his Woolworth's 5 and Dime drum kit (literally), the people just looked at each other (I still have the kit in my closet). When they told him he needed a drum-click machine (or whatever that thing that records drum notes is called), he said, "I don't need one."

The Capitol producer said, "I don't mean to insult you, but I think that you don't understand exactly how this works. We'll be stopping all the time and asking you to start up again at different places. You'll never be able to get the exact tempo again, or know what you were doing."

"I don't need the machine. I'll be fine," he said.

"Okay," they said. "We'll see."

By the end of the day, they'd offered him the job of session drummer at Capitol. I actually have a tape of the producer saying, "I've never known ANYone that could do that before. It's AMAZING."

Due to family responsibility he couldn't take the job, but continued to work for Capitol piecemeal throughout the 60s and early 70s, and always regretted not having taken the job.

Part of my life as a teenager in the 80s was a mess of stuffing envelopes with pictures and brochures, answering phone calls from pushy agents, setting up drums and arguing with the Stage Hand's Union, wondering why the hell I was at Elizabeth Taylor's house, and shaking hands with Elvis impersonators. I hope your son has as much fun being a musician's kid as I did -- learning to tap out rhythym and sing harmonies and play the vibes and such -- on long car rides as I did.

If I bored you to tears with this nostalgia, I apologize. Thinking of it and remembering it made ME feel good, at any rate. And from one musician' kid to another I can honestly say: good luck to your son! :)

[Pale Blue Dot]

12. LOL - I am NOT Neil Finn - I am a "Finn fan".

I, on the other hand, usually refer to myself in the 5th person...

[dweller]

8. cool dad

but the next 3 hour segment should be his choice ...

:thumbsup:

dp

[Pale Blue Dot]

9. It'll be "Laugh USA" on xm radio.

That's what I deprived him of today.

[dweller]

10. sounds fun

hope you giggle and laugh so hard your belly hurts!

my kids are grown, i miss those times. . . i could be quite the clown and we'd laugh so hard together.

sigh, there will be grandkids one day i suppose :D

dp

[rucky]

13. Do you let him throw paper airplanes at Neil Finn shows?

then you'd be a really really cool dad.

[Pale Blue Dot]

14. ...

:thumbsup: