Easy Listening

I love podcasts.  As soon as I drop Cameron off at school, I plug in my iPod and listen to This American Life, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, RadioLab and The Moth.  Typically, Matthew is asleep at this point and I can listen in peace.  I've learned, however, that if he isn't asleep, I should NOT turn on the podcast.

First I found out that when The Moth puts that little "explicit" label next to the pocast, it is NOT appropriate listening for a 2-year-old.  Who knew? So then, I made it my policy to only listen to RadioLab if Matthew was still awake.  Until they were talking about Y-chromosome mutations (which is just the sort of stuff I love to listen to) and they were describing a mutation that they had traced back to Genghis Khan (fascinating!) and then they started describing why this mutation grew to be so common (which was semi-inappropriate for a 2-year-old and involved how Genghis, ummm, passed on his Y-chromosome much more than the average man) and then they described how Genghis Khan died (in the act of passing on his Y-chromosome mutation) and . . . I quickly hit the power button and said "Oooh, Matthew, look at the shiny car!"

So no more podcasts for me until the little guy is asleep.  But that doesn't mean no more podcasts for them!

Cameron recently asked me if he could get "a radio with headphones" so he could listen to "rock music" when he's going to sleep.  Instead, I filled an iPod shuffle with bedtime story podcasts.  I also found that Cameron's favorite TV show, Fetch with Ruff Ruffman, has a podcast.  I put those on there as well and sent Cameron off to his room.  A short while later I heard a giggle.  Then laughter.  Then hysteria.  I went in to find that Matthew had joined Cameron who, amazingly, had shared the headphones with him.  Cameron was laughing uproariously.  Matthew said, "I talking on this!"  He pointed to the earbud and said, "I talking and dis Ruff Ruffman talking to ME!" 

So, I've done it.  I've hooked my boys on podcasts!  Ira Glass, just you wait a few years . . .