Driving to camp this morning it was obvious that the boys were not in a good mood. Elias (7) was quiet, and Ethan (4-1/2) was making sad sounds. He wasn't crying, but he was making enough sound to indicate that he would be crying if he simply had the energy. Conversation wasn't working; it was time to use the stereo.
I started by opening the sun roof and my window to circulate in some fresh morning air. Then I asked "Guys, want to hear There She Goes?" I didn't have The La's in the car, which is Elias's favorite, but Sixpence None The Richer got us by until we dropped Elias off. He seemed to be in a considerably better mood as he left the car. As we moved on to drop off Ethan a few minutes down the road I asked "Ethan, want to hear down at the pawn shop?" A big affirmative from the back seat.
I found the Sublime CD, skipped forward, and stopped at Jailhouse. The reaction from the back seat was immediate: "No, down at the pawn shop." He recognizes the song from the first guitar lick. I skipped one song forward to Pawn Shop, the music started, and his little body subtly grooved to the music. After the 75-second music intro he sang along to the lyrics. Yes, my 4-1/2 year-old's favorite song is Pawn Shop by Sublime.
It wasn't only his mood that picked up. Mine picked up as well. After he got out of the car I skipped forward to Burrito -- a counter intuitively loud and fast homage to staying in bed all day. At a stoplight I realized that all the mirrors in the car were visibly vibrating from the bass in Jailhouse. Garden Grove and What I Got filled the car on the highway and April 29, 1992 (Miami) took me into the parking garage. Driving the kids to camp in the morning is a great start to the day.
