i'm gunna take you the place you've never been before, oh yeah.

today, a relatively new friend and i, (i was so not into talking to her or hanging out with her when i first met her. she was homeschooled, and i knew we would NOT be able to connect. WRONG. baller child. kick ass violinist, and totally open to learning new things because of how sheltered she was...) anyways, we went into town to run some errands, while we were jammin to some ace of base, (hence the title of the post) i was wondering why she wasnt singing along. everyone knows ace of base. so i asked her and she told me that growing up, she wasnt allowed to listen to music.
i repeat.
she WASNT ALLOWED to listen to music. WHAT. how is that even legal? she was only allowed to listen to gregorian chant. WHAT. seriously, i couldnt speak for about 2 minutes. how can you not let your children listen to music? how are they ever going to find an outlet to express themselves? this is nothing more than a complete rape of childhood expressionism. i cannot even FATHOM not being allowed to listen to music growing up. that's all my parents did! i know for a fact that i would not be the person i am today if it wasnt for the music i was exposed to at a young age. my dad was hardcore into classic rock, loverboy, quiet riot, and all that good rediculous hair band guitar ripping. my mother was more refined with her broadway, but had a complete obsession with journey. my oldest sister exposed me to nirvana when i was super young, which led me to find my obsession with system of a down and that whole genre, and the other sister, who was a broadway kid, helped me appreciate fabulous voices, and going to all of her auditions and shows is probably the reason why i know how to sing. my brother helps me in the techno area, and my baby brother loves jazz. the exposition of different music growing up is essential to one's complete formation of the person they become. one thing my parents always did was encourage music. even in highschool, i would come home, go to my room, shut the door, shut off and just listen to my music. music was my only escape in a lot of situations i dealt with. how can a person not know or be ALLOWED to have that right? how can you tell a human NOT to express themselves through the beauty of music. it's honestly unreal to me. it's almost abusive. no, it is. i feel exactly how i felt when i found out that that family with like...20 kids on tlc dont let their children dance. dont. even. get. me. started.

the reason i love this child so much is not only because shes hilarious, fun, and her and her best friend are way cool now that i put aside my stubborness and actually got to know them (and major bonus: they live upstairs and feed me), but its because i now feel as though i have a responsibility to show her a whole new world that she wasnt exposed to when she was younger. it's my job. i know it is. sure, i know im supposed to spread the faith, and she totally helps ME in that area, but i now have a duty to open her mind even more then her books have, and get her to see a side of herself she can only find in music.

don't worry, ill save you.