How weird is your father? – End of the Day for January 24, 2014

Sitting here at our partner desk or riding in the car together, I will sometimes turn to my 16-year-old son and ask him how weird it is have a father that can listen to some of the same music he likes, play some of the video games he loves and enjoys the same books he does? In typical teenage style I usually get a noncommittal monosyllabic response. He seems ok with it, but there are times I wonder how we got to this point. I cannot imagine my father ever wanting to listen to the music of my childhood or read the books I read. We seem so far apart in age, almost like we were born in different epochs, not just different decades. I try to remember what he was like at 50, but it is nearly impossible. Here I am at the same age and I realize that when I was just finishing high school he already seemed as old as all the other old farmers we visited on his rounds fixing tractors, combines and other farm equipment. There seemed little difference between him and my grandfather.

I feel so different now that I am nearly 50. Lately I have taken to listening to the pop music channel on iTunes Radio or Pandora and find that I like a lot of the music being created today. Pitbull, Katy Perry and even Miley Cyrus (in audio, if not video) are doing some pretty cool things these days. There are times I wonder why I’m acting like the stereotypical parental “deer” and telling my son to “turn that crap down!” (LAUGH) Now, my musical tastes have always been pretty wide-ranging, so I am sure that helps, but I also think it is because I actively pursue new music, new games, new books and new experiences.

Itunes radio playlist

Music that was playing while I writing this End of the Day

Sure, I don’t like everything, but neither am I fearful of it or resentful of its messages, themes and words. In fact, I think it is imperative to my continued success in work and life to try to maintain this sense of curiousity. I find too many people these days, even those my own age, who have stopped at a certain age and certain time and never seem to progress any further. For them, listening to Hip-Hop or even today’s pop music would be inconceivable. They have decided somehow to freeze their life and their growth and settle in for the rest of their time on the planet. Yikes! Such thoughts scare me more than any Miley Cyrus video. (LAUGH)

I would guess there will come a time when I finally find my own sticking age, but I hope it is a long way off. There is too much great, new stuff to experience in life to ignore it. I ail never strive to be that weird “hip dad” but I will always take the opportunity to experience the future as it comes along. I hope my son won’t think me too weird in my old age and perhaps it will give us some fodder for great conversations in the future.d

Previously on End of the Day: