Toddler's Love of Vinyl Teaches Dad to Let Go

A toddler's first word after "Mama" and "Dada" is usually something simple, but LJ Rader's son had other plans. His first real word was "record."

The 14-month-old discovered his grandparents' vintage vinyl collection sitting in a console at perfect toddler eye level. From his first day crawling, he's been obsessed with the physical ritual of placing records on the turntable and watching them transform into sound.

This came as a surprise to Rader, who threw his violin on the ground and broke it rather than perform in his first-grade concert. Throughout his life, music never felt like an important part of his identity, even as he enjoyed listening to it.

Now he's his son's personal DJ assistant. The boy loves The Beatles, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, and the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. He gravitates toward big, loud music with epic swings in sound. He especially loves Chicago.

The records are scuffed, covered in dog hair and boogers, with loose discs scattered around the room. Rader sometimes thinks he should clean them or buy a nicer record player, but his entire idea of value has shifted since becoming a dad.

All the value of those records rests in the fact that his kid likes holding a physical thing and turning it into noise that makes him happy. There's also unquantifiable value in stepping back and letting him build what might become a deep passion for music.

Sunny's Take

Watching your child discover their own interests, especially ones you never shared, is one of parenting's greatest gifts. Rader could enforce rules about keeping the vinyl pristine or steer his son toward sports and art instead, but he's choosing something better: giving his toddler the freedom to explore what genuinely delights him, even if it means yogurt on Elton John.

There's only so much control parents have over what their kids gravitate toward, and the wisdom is knowing when to let go.

When his son gets to kindergarten and meets the recorder, Rader wonders what he'll think, but one thing seems certain: this kid already knows what he loves.