Family harmony

New parents, learn from my mistake. Those nice CDs of lullabies, and later, the catchy children's songs? Don't let them into your house. Once your children hear them, they will settle for little else, and you will be stuck listening to the musical equivalent of "Fun with Dick and Jane" for the next 8 years of your life. The problem with catchy children's songs is that they're catchy, and you'll find yourself singing them at inopportune times.

But if my warning's come too late, then at least let me make some recommendations for your family's listening pleasure. In no particular order, the most bearable of the children's music genre that fills our soundwaves:

Let it Shine and Share This World by Jim Rule
God's Love is for Everybody and Can't Keep Quiet by Brian Moyer Suderman
Here Come the 123's by They Might Be Giants
Song of Wisdom from Old Turtle
If You're Not Going Far by Kentucky T Dutchersmith and the Rubber Band
Cada Nino/Every Child by Tish Hinojosa
To Such as These by Kim Thiessen for MCC
Water from Another Time by John McCutcheon

I dare say that if I were on a deserted island, or stuck in solitary confinement, it would be songs from these albums that would surface in my mind, not the hymns of old or the current trendy tunes. And perhaps it's not such a bad thing after all, to hear your kids belting out, "Love is better than the rest, it's better than success, and all that you possess!" (The Music Machine) or, "Alleluia, the great storm is over. Lift up your voice and sing!" (Water from Another Time). Just be warned that they may also remind you to "have patience, have patience, don't be in such a hurry."