“Tonight
We are young
So let’s set the world on fire
We can burn brighter than the sun.”
“We are young,” by Fun.
The only instrument I played growing up was the radio, and I still play it today.  Pick a pre-programmed station: I can sing the songs played on each. When I sing, I am transported back in time.  Of course, my seventh grader rolls her eyes at my narrative. So I wondered about the soundtrack of her life.

“What’s popular with your friends and what songs do you like?” I asked. Adele, LMFAO, Amy Winehouse and Fun. were her answer.

Have you heard of Fun.?  The lyrics this pop rock band wrote are a “sing-at-the-top-of-your-lungs” anthem to invincibility. My daughter and I sing it together, loudly.

So when she said, “This song is about being in a bar,” I said, “Really!?  They sang it on [the TV program] ‘Glee.’”

One Internet search later and, sure enough, his “friends are in the bathroom getting higher than the Empire State.” A responsible lad, he offers, “So if by the time the bar closes, and you feel like falling down, I’ll carry you home tonight.”

What am I to make of that song? If you’re in a bar, you are old enough to drink legally. But is this the message I want my underage child to internalize?

To parents, this is a teaching moment. I welcome every opportunity I get to use popular culture to teach my values, our family’s values. Do you? Do you want to?

Come and see CVDAPC’s presentation of “Scenes from our Teens” on Monday, April 2 at 6:30 at Rev. Bev’s church, the Center for Spiritual Living at the corner of Dunsmore and Santa Carlotta avenues. Everyone is welcome, especially parents of children from pre-school to high school. Join us and share a very special teaching moment.

And on the last Monday of the month, March 26, come on over to the CVDAPC’s office from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. to meet the board, learn about our work, and enjoy light refreshments. We’re with the CV Chamber of Commerce, 3131 Foothill Blvd., Suite D in La Crescenta.

I look forward to meeting you and talking about the wonders of parenthood!

Suzy Jacobs, Executive Director
Crescenta Valley Drug & Alcohol Prevention Coalition