Old-style morality or new-age parenting?

Of late, my daughter has been picking up quite a few English songs... so, what's wrong with that? Maybe nothing. Maybe I'm paranoid. Maybe I don't want her to grow up fast. Maybe I want her to be just my little girl, forever! Maybe I don't want to go through the trauma of explaining the meaning of a few lyrics to her...

The reasons are plenty, and my logic very idiotic! But, perhaps, if you know why I am acting so funny you may even sympathize with me! For one, it's not those cutesy songs for little girls like Cuppycake or Crazy Frog, or Sound of Music melodies that little S sings. She goes on crooning I'm a Barbie girl with all its wacky-weird lyrics :(... my heart does many extra, fast beats whenever she goes "You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere... imagination, life is your creation"!

Oh God, what am I to tell her? How can I divert her attention to something else? I tried making her listen to Boney M numbers like Mary's boy child, and Abba songs too, but in vain. Of all the songs by Abba, she picks up (besides Money money money and Dancing queen) Mama Mia, S.O.S, and Honey honey. And the least I speak of Boney M, the better... apart from Rasputin and Ma Baker, she doesn't have patience for any other song.

Now, what do you tell a smart seven-year-old who sings Beat it or Thriller, and finds Boney M and Abba "too slow"? Cheaters, love machines, and killers are what/who she likes?! Grrrrrrrrrrr!!! God save me, and paranoid parents like me... Just the other day I was horrified to discover that she is humming Shakira's Whenever wherever, and immediately deleted it from my playlist. Thankfully, she didn't catch the lyrics too well to sing along!!

But why am I acting like the moral police? I've no clue. Errrrrrrr, I guess it runs in my family. I remember my mom whacking me on a few occasions when I crooned Bhale bhale mogadivoy (Maro Charitra), Sirimalle puvva (Padaharella Vayasu) and Aresukoboyi (Adavi Ramudu) - I was just four then (three years younger than S currently is and with a quarter of her mental capabilities) and I had no clue what the lyrics meant... though I must admit that when I was listening to these songs a couple of days ago and mom walked in for lunch, I turned a deep red and quickly closed the window as I felt rather shy to admit (even now) that I listen to these songs.

At 35, I'm still worried what my mom would think of me if I listen to "dirty" songs. I wonder what would be her reaction if I post these songs on FB or use them as my status msgs in GTalk... Will she whack me even now?

As for me, I'm caught between old-fashioned morality and new-age parenting! I certainly don't want to whack little S for singing risque songs. But I also want her to stop singing Barbie girl right now... Is this some new definition of a cool parent where I want 'to be' and 'not to be' as well? I've no solution yet but I'm sure I'll come up with an innovative answer to this dichotomy, and my own social-cum-moral dilemma!!

MA, MB, MC, MD, MS & many more Ms

Another day. Another conversation. But this time it wasn't me who was subjected to the torrent of my daughter's outbursts. It was her grandmother who had to patiently face little S's relentless rapidfire question session. And this is how the conversation went on a lazy Sunday afternoon!

S: Ammamma, did you study MB?

A: Huh? What's that?

S: Abbaaaaa... you didn't understand? Did you do MB? Just like my amma and nanna studied MA, did you study MB?

A: Yes, I studied MB, MC, MD, and many more Ms.

S: (extremely happy to have found somebody who is much more educated than her parents) Ah, okay. What else did you study?

A: I studied MA, MBA, MCA, MBBS, BTech, BE, MS, PhD... I've done all of it.

S: Then why were you not working like amma?

A: Your mother is also not working now.

S: Yes, but she used to work before no... why didn't you also work like her?

A: I couldn't work because I don't know how to use computers. That's the only thing I didn't study. And nobody gave me a job without learning computers.

S: Then you could have learned computers and worked no.

A: They all said I should know computers if I've to work and I couldn't learn.

S: But why? You should have learned just like amma, nanna and mama.

A: But there were no computers at that time. So nobody could teach me also.

S: Okay...

Pauses thoughtfully for a brief while before some brilliant thought crosses her mind and is reflected in her big, bright eyes.

S: Wait, if there were no computers when you were small how can the job people ask you to learn computers?

A: I don't know but they all asked.

S: But how can they tell you that when there are no computers only!! That's wrong no!

A: (smiles speechlessly) ...

And now, isn't it unfair that the "job people" (employers) tormented little S's grandmother and refused to give her a job just because she doesn't know how to operate a computer? Poor grandmother, and poor little granddaughter!