Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Jane Jacobs
I was reading in the newspaper yesterday that Bob Dylan was DJing on the radio. I'm a big Bob Dylan fan. The article claimed that only Bob Dylan and John Lennon would have carte blanche on their own radio programs. My 13 year old daughter loves John Lennon.
I was at a coffee shop this morning with her and the Bob Dylan song "Hurricane" played on the radio. I told her a bit about how Ruben Carter was falsely jailed and how Bob Dylan's song helped to get him freed. Ruben Carter came to live in Toronto and helped speak out against human rights. I also told her the story about how a historian looked at all the events and tried to measure their influence and said that Bob Dylan was the biggest factor in stopping the Vietnam war. I asked her to imagine what it would be like to stop a war. She said "Neat". She may have just been polite. I Think I told her this story before.
When Jane Jacobs died I laid out all the newspaper items (we subscribe to the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail and the New York Times) about her on her chair. I'm not sure if she read it.
I am a broken record when it comes to talking to my kids about this stuff but I can't help it. If I was just trying to be friends with my daughter or have her like me I wouldn't mention this but I am her dad and I think it is my responsibility to push her. There comes a time when you realize that the things you wish you could do you hand off to your kids. I wanted to make the world a better place but I failed so maybe my kids can do it. I don't think I can start a rock band at my age and tour the world and sell a million records. I don't know the language of the times. No one listens to me anymore.
It's always a balancing act of encouraging your kids and allowing them to relax. I may sometimes be on the wrong side of that balance. My wife is on the other side of this balance and I'm glad she is. The most important thing is my kids know I love them regardless.
I was at a coffee shop this morning with her and the Bob Dylan song "Hurricane" played on the radio. I told her a bit about how Ruben Carter was falsely jailed and how Bob Dylan's song helped to get him freed. Ruben Carter came to live in Toronto and helped speak out against human rights. I also told her the story about how a historian looked at all the events and tried to measure their influence and said that Bob Dylan was the biggest factor in stopping the Vietnam war. I asked her to imagine what it would be like to stop a war. She said "Neat". She may have just been polite. I Think I told her this story before.
When Jane Jacobs died I laid out all the newspaper items (we subscribe to the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail and the New York Times) about her on her chair. I'm not sure if she read it.
I am a broken record when it comes to talking to my kids about this stuff but I can't help it. If I was just trying to be friends with my daughter or have her like me I wouldn't mention this but I am her dad and I think it is my responsibility to push her. There comes a time when you realize that the things you wish you could do you hand off to your kids. I wanted to make the world a better place but I failed so maybe my kids can do it. I don't think I can start a rock band at my age and tour the world and sell a million records. I don't know the language of the times. No one listens to me anymore.
It's always a balancing act of encouraging your kids and allowing them to relax. I may sometimes be on the wrong side of that balance. My wife is on the other side of this balance and I'm glad she is. The most important thing is my kids know I love them regardless.
posted by Dad with 4 kids at 11:30 AM
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