DAD DIARY: The playlist – a parent’s godsend

The kids love music and have Alexa on the go all the time with their various choices. The trouble is Séimí is not the best at respecting other people’s choices. If Frankie or Éamon make a selection he doesn’t like, he will quickly command Alexa to play his pick. And his older siblings don’t take too kindly to their song being turned off within ten seconds.
So they press the red lock button on Alexa, which is out of Séimí’s reach, and that sends him cuckoo.
For a long time Séimí’s only pick on Alexa would be Jingle Bells – all year long. But he is expanding his range now.
And though arguments over Alexa persist, music is a saviour for car journeys.
We’ve resisted giving the kids tablets for car journeys – electronic tablets, not sleeping tablets I hasten to add (though rule nothing out!). We sense that it would be very hard to get them off the devices once they have them and so it is a battle we’ll stick at.
Some car journeys have been fraught ones, but music has proven a balm, particularly since we stumbled on ‘the playlist’.
It was a lightbulb moment one day. Let the kids pick a song each on Spotify and myself and Aisling would make our picks too. Four selections each makes it 20 songs, a good hour, which covers most journeys we make from Achill, to places like Castlebar and Westport.
Everyone, even Séimí, bought into the idea that everyone could have their pick knowing their song would come on in turn. It’s an eclectic mix.
Séimí’s picks include Daddy Cool (his pick, honestly!), N17 (his current favourite), Fireball and the Ghostbusters theme tune.
Éamon has four picks with a common link – Rim Tim, Tagi, Dim; The Code; No Rules; and Doomsday Blue. Yes, you’ve guessed it, all songs from the 2024 Eurovision! It’s a love affair that shows no sign of abating.
Frankie has aptly picked Sister Sledge’s Frankie, as well as two songs from the Frozen soundtrack. There’s also Ugly Heart. It’s catchy and I assume that’s the reason, and not the messaging!
I’ve thrown in a few upbeat picks – Kids in America, I’m Gonna Be (500 miles) and Dreams by the Cranberries.
Amazingly, after a couple of months of the playlist, there has been no arguments. Séimí cannot command Spotify to turn off songs either, which is a big help.
Music can be very uplifting and very unifying. It can certainly shorten car journeys for us. The ‘playlist’ will continue, with songs added all the time. One each though, or there would be hell to pay for!

In his long-running fortnightly column, Edwin McGreal charts the ups and downs of the biggest wake-up call of his life: Parenthood.