Raising My Daughter on 80s Music

There are parents out there raising their kids on organic kale smoothies and Montessori principles. Then there’s me—raising mine on Madonna, synth drums, and unapologetic keytar solos.

I’m not saying I’m a better parent. I’m just saying my daughter knows all the words to “Love is a Battlefield”—and I think that counts as emotional resilience training.

The First Time She Heard “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”

It was like watching evolution happen in real time. One second she was a skeptical little Gen Alpha cynic, the next she was fully entranced by the opening synth lead.

By the second chorus, she declared, “It actually sounds like she's having fun”

That would be correct, sweetheart. In the 80s, fun was practically baked into the music. Even the sad songs smiled a little back then.

Explaining the 80s to a Modern Kid

Trying to explain the 80s to my daughter is like trying to explain fire to someone who’s only ever known LED candles.

When I played her "Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats, her confusion was immediate:

“So… it’s dangerous to dance? Or safe? Or is it the hats that are dangerous?”

Look, no one really knows.

Another time, she called Duran Duran “that boy band from your olden days.”

And when I showed her a cassette tape, she stared at it like I’d just handed her a fossil.

“Wait—you had to REWIND music?”

Trying to explain MuchMusic nearly broke me.

“So it was like YouTube?”

No.

“TikTok?”

No.

“So…Netflix with ONLY music videos? But with ads?”

YES! (Good enough)

The Education Continues

We do our best to balance the eras: she teaches me what 6-7 is all about (which is actually nothing really); I teach her why Phil Collins’ drum solo in “In the Air Tonight” is a spiritual experience.

She rolls her eyes at Bon Jovi’s 80s hair, but then asks me to replay “Living on a Prayer.”

She may not get why anyone would buy K-TEL compilation records, but she’s starting to understand the sacred ritual of making a playlist that tells a story. She's learning that in the 80s, you didn’t “shuffle.” You COMMITTED to the whole mixtape. Start to finish. In order. And that builds character.

Why I’m Sticking With the 80s

Look, I’ve heard today’s hits. It’s a verbal minefield out there—explicit versions, clean versions, and still somehow not that clean versions.

With the 80s, I don’t have to worry about surprise F-bombs or lyrics that make me pause and go, “Um… we’ll talk about that when you’re older.” The most scandalous thing my kid’s hearing is “Like a Virgin”—and honestly, that sounds like a church hymn, compared to what's out there today.

80s songs were dramatic, emotional, and occasionally ridiculous—but never raunchy. They left things to the imagination, wrapped in power chords and fog machine mist. Call me a prudish old fogie, but I’ll take that any day over songs that need a parental advisory label and a therapy session.

The Legacy

My kid might never know the pain of waiting by the radio to record her favorite song, only for the DJ to talk over the intro—but she will grow up knowing that joy can sound like “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”

That heartbreak can sound like “Time After Time.”

That sometimes, all you need is to crank up “Footloose” and dance it out.

And as far as I’m concerned, if she can hum “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” while brushing her teeth, I’ve done my job.