I was riding in the car with a friend as well as my daughter this weekend, listening to music, as one does while on the road.

We were listening to music from my youth and my daughter was singing along. That made me think about the ways we influence our children that we don’t mean to.

She was simply singing along to a song that she has heard a few times, probably with me, and doesn’t think anything of it.

I heard my childhood being repeated back to me, and when a few other songs that I loved in high school came on, I cringed. I realized that there were songs that my parents said I shouldn’t listen to because of their content.

As a DJ at a popular music station, I am aware of a lot of new music, and do not condone some of the messages that are sung about. I therefore try to steer my offspring away from such tunes.

I can also recall my dad and my mom trying desperately to guide me away from stuff they disagreed with. Of course, that made me gravitate to it all that much more! In fact, some of the songs that I winced at were the very musical choices my parents didn’t want me making back in the day!

I could ramble on about song lyrics and their effect and impact on youth, but there is always that lasting fact that is this: the louder we tell our kids not to listen to some things, the more they’re drawn to it.

So, I am going to try something new. I am going to try and let my daughter decide for herself what kind of music she likes, and not try to sway her too much. (Granted, there will still be lines drawn in the sand, just not with as big a shovel!) Perhaps this way she will realize that some of what she calls music and her favorites are actually not great for her.

It’s like she’s a real person with emotions and opinions and stuff…

(And yes, I did say “What she calls music”, and yes my father did utter similar epithets towards Nirvana, Pearl Jam, STP, and NIN back in my day. It’s a circle of life kinda thing, just minus the funny talking animals!)

Ben Cox is the host of “Ben Cox in the Morning” weekday mornings from 6 to 9 on KQBZ, 96.9 FM in Brownwood Texas. He is the in-stadium voice of the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets football team and is also a mobile DJ for weddings, parties and the like. He can be contacted via this website.

The thoughts and comments reflected in this column are those of the writer alone, and do not necessarily reflect those of Wendlee Broadcasting, or its affiliates.