My girls are young.  Any exposure they have to pop culture is obviously, introduced by us.  And as overly protective, I have to get this right the first time, all things “out there” will hurt them parents, we probably shield them from too much.

Already I feel like they have seen more than they should.  Cinderella falls for the first guy she meets, Snow White lives with little men, and Sleeping Beauty is 16 when she falls in love.  All things I don’t have to explain yet, but will need to one day.  I analyze every Dora episode, wishing they would draw her without her belly hanging out, listen intently for “bad” words on Spongebob and cringe at the sexual innuendo’s in Toy Story 3.  But their exposure is all controlled and can be turned off if I am unhappy with it.

But sometimes, stuff gets in.  Like the other day when I was ready to switch kid CD’s in the car and the real – gasp – radio came on!  Since I had to get to a red light before I could fumble for another “Lori approved” CD, I let the radio play.

It was an upbeat, happy, fun song and my girls immediately started dancing to it.  I didn’t know who it was or the title of the song but could clearly get the chorus, “Party in the U.S.A”.

After the song ended, both Sarah and Katie screamed “Play it again!”.

Well, I couldn’t…  it was the radio.  And they were disappointed.  Which I can not stand.  So guess what no pop culture Mommy did?

Yes, I went to the store.  I asked around, sang the song for horrified sales people, and followed them to the pop music racks that I had not been to since I was a tiny waisted, single gal.

The song, as best they could gather from my sharp rendition, was “Party in the U.S.A” by Miley Cyrus.  Whoda thunk it?  

I bought it.  Against my better judgement.  But for my amusement as well.  Because they are going to be cute dancing and singing to it.  And that trumps everything.

Good Mothering, right?

I wish to goodness I had my video camera aimed right on them when I started playing the song.  Both of them, well all 3 of them but Megan was just following her big sister’s, jumped up and started screaming like mini – teenagers meeting Justin Bieber for the first time.

Sarah screamed, “It’s the Britney song!”

I’ll have to deal with that later I suppose…

For children who had only heard the song once, they immediately launched into the chorus on cue.  Putting their hand up and singing their song, flapping as the butterflies flew away.  They were nodding their head like ‘yea’ and moving their hips like ‘yea;.  They put their hands up and sang their song and knew everything would be OK.  Yea…  it was a party in the U.S.A.  A party in the U.S.A.

It was hysterical the first time, the second time, and the 73rd time.

So, welcome Miley Cyrus to our home.  Consider yourself the lucky one, the chosen one, the role model I deemed OK to let in.  Or at least your song.

And thank you for showing me that sometimes, if you pay attention and you are lucky, the outside world can bring inside joys!