The Impressions of Our Music

The music that is being played on the radio today often sends the wrong message to our youth. So often do we see our youth in the streets portraying what they feel is the way of the world; and although I hate to say it, it's not the way we should want our children to be. I'm not wanting to come opinionated and bias, but there has got to be something that can be done to prevent our youth from feeling like they can disrespect women, create violence and have criminal minds; There is no way I can accept the fact that this music is generally creating some very selfish, deviant individuals.

It's not just rap or hip-hop music that I'm speaking of; I hear some very outlandish lyrics in more than just these categories of our music. We also have rock, pop, and some other genres of music that also portray an image that is unreachable for our youth.

Why would you want a child to know about selling drugs, shooting guns, robbing and committing adultery? I know that sometimes music expresses how an artist is feeling, or what is going on in their lives, but sometimes these issues are not for the youth in our lives! Does this mean that it's up to the parents to make sure what their children are listening to? And if you said yes to this, then what can that parent do when that child is exposed to this sort of thing at school, or any other place other than home?

We cannot blame the entertainers for the destructive patterns their music gives our youth, but we can be certain that our children may hear/see these things, but not so much as that they'd want to live just as those entertainers. A known fact is that many of these entertainers don't actually live that way; in a way of the lyrics in their music, and majority of them have not even been to the ghetto.

I can say this; parents, monitor what your child listens to. Don't run out to the stores and fill their iPods, MP3 players or whatever with this music. Keep that child in a child's place! I know for a fact that if you raise your child with music suitable for them, they will learn to appreciate that music and live a life that represents what they are being exposed to. There are many categories of music that will not only enhance your child's abilities, but enhance their well being just as well. Such as Christian music, now this is the safest way to go, when you have young, impressionate children in your company or life. We need music that will teach them the right values, morals and positive outlooks on life!

It has to start somewhere, so why not stop the drama before it begins. How many times have you turned up your favorite, adult music, just to turn and see that your eight-year old child knows more of the lyrics than you do? How many times have you passed children on the streets and heard some of the graphic things they have said, and when you ask them where they learned it from, they tell you: "From the song...."? It has got to stop, people! We all must take the necessary precautions to instill positive values in our youth. It's a well known common statement that a child is a product of it's environment. So, instead of allowing them to watch MTV, BET, and other programs like VH1, set their television channels to more suitable stations like the Disney Channel.