I Think I've Seen One of Those on T.V.

Yesterday was yet another god-I'm-getting-old moment. San Francisco returned home from helping his mother move with a real treasure- a 1970's vintage record player, the kind with cabinet doors, an analog tuner and an 8-track. It's beautiful.

Snot-face stood staring at it for a minute.

"What's that?" she finally asked.

"It's a record player," San Francisco told her, but her head cocked to the side like a dog, "You know, it plays records, music."

"Oh!" she exclaimed, "I think I've seen one of those on T.V. I think they had one on The Cosby Show."

Snot-face has recently developed a love for my childhood favorite. When she saw her idol, Raven Symone, from Disney's That's So Raven, played Cosby's adorable little Olivia, she became fascinated.

"Look at Raven," Snot-face squeaked, "she's so little and cute."

Back to the record player: San Francisco proceeded to teach Snot-face how to use it, so she won't scratch the records. As he gave his lesson, he remembered when he was a kid he wasn't even allowed in the room this player was in. (I guess that's how bad he was.)

It’s the little things that make you realize how much things have changed. My daughter had never seen a record player in real life until yesterday. When Michael Jackson died she discovered his music, like many kids did, as if he were a brand artist. She asked me why she didn’t know about him before he was dead, and was sad that there would be no more from him.

Why didn’t she know about him? Did I not do my duty as a culturally hip mom? Am I depriving my child by keeping treasures like the magic of MJ, the silliness of Bill Cosby and the sweet crackle of vinyl to myself? Am I negligent for being surprised that Snot-face doesn’t know them already? Cause if I haven’t shown her, who else will?