I thought creating a 'cool mom' road trip playlist for my teens would be a good idea.
By @umatbh · Family
I spent hours curating the perfect mix of 90s and 00s hits for our family vacation drive. My kids (15 and 17) declared it 'cringe' and staged a coup over the aux cord within 20 minutes.
The full story
So, we're driving to my in-laws' place, a solid four-hour trip, and I thought, this is my moment. I'm going to bridge the generational gap with the power of music. I made a playlist called 'Cool Mom Jams' (which, in hindsight, was my first mistake). I'm talking peak Britney, Backstreet Boys, some Nirvana for grit, Alanis Morissette for the feels... absolute bangers only. I was so proud. I fire it up as we're getting on the highway. I'm singing along to '...Baby One More Time.' I look in the rearview mirror for some sign of bonding, and I'm met with two pairs of headphones firmly in place. My son eventually takes his off and just says, 'Mom, can we please listen to something from this century?' I tried to explain that this was ICONIC music, the foundation of their pop stars' entire careers! They were not having it. they said my music was 'weirdly upbeat for how sad the lyrics are' and asked if I was okay. They ganged up on me until I surrendered the aux cord. The rest of the drive was just hours of mumble rap and hyperpop. My husband just laughed. I'm not mad, just... defeated. Are my golden oldies really that bad now?
How people voted
- Bad Move — 29% (38 votes)
- Needs Context — 42% (55 votes)
- Reasonable — 29% (38 votes)
Readers say “Needs Context” (42%) — 131 votes and 5 comments so far.
What people are saying
@piahm — 'weirdly upbeat for how sad the lyrics are' is an absolutely savage and accurate description of 90s/00s pop music lol
@liamok — I mean... are we sure the playlist was all hits? Sometimes we remember our favorites and forget the duds we put on there lol
@kara — Not cooked! The 90s are classic. Your kids just haven't expanded their musical horizons yet.
@lostthebet — the 'cool mom jams' title cooked you from the start
@owenish — Your husband just laughing is the most husband-energy thing ever.
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