Daughters and Avril Lavigne

How is it that my 4-year-old knows who Avril Lavigne is and likes her music? Actually, I can probably answer that. Admittedly, my wife and I are both fans of the punk princess, so our two daughters were exposed to her music at an early age. Our musical tastes are unapologetically varied, including artists like Ben Folds, Blue October and James Blunt (the last 3 concerts we attended). And yes, we even saw Avril Lavigne live (conveniently escorting our 15-year-old niece).

I suppose it's inevitable that little girls grow up faster than we'd prefer, but I'm surprisingly okay with that. Especially given the growing number of female role models they'll have to choose from. Heck, even I include a girl among my own 2 favorite sports heroes; Michelle Kwan, who handles herself always with grace and dignity, and Lance Armstrong is the other. It's not that I have a secret desire for my girls to be world-class figure skaters or cyclists (besides, my 4-year-old would rather be tennis champ Maria Sharapova anyway). I'm more concerned with HOW they do things, and whether they do it the right way. Which leads me back to Avril Lavigne.

Despite the inevitable criticism that she's a "poser," sold out and become a corporate-driven, teeny-bop music machine, Avril became famous for being real. The "punk princess" label may describe her look as much as her sound, but her songs are more compelling than catchy. Few may be aware that the powerful vocalist writes her own music and even plays guitar, keyboard and drums during each of her concerts. She's truly a unique talent. Avril works hard, loves what she does- and it shows. If my little girls want to bob their heads along, I say rock on, sweethearts.