Welcome back to JackJams.

It’s summer, when I believe parents are at their most creative (and tired, you know, because of the humidity). Some build indoor tree forts. Some turn household objects into musical instruments. And if you’re us, you take a field trip to the grocery store so your son can follow around the large robot with the googly eyes. It killed an hour, I restocked my supply of Diet Dr. Pepper, and I snapped one of the best photos of Jack I’ve ever taken.

In today’s edition:

-The JackJams backstory, sorta

-Reader feedback

-One (1) TV show recommendation

What (and why) is JackJams?

So if last week was about this newsletter just existing, this issue is about making it have a point of view. The easiest way I know how to do that is explain (some of) the backstory to the playlist that inspired me to be here with you.

An important note to keep in mind moving forward: Reagan and I are raising Jack about a thousand miles from the closest family member. This means we sometimes feel like we are parenting in a vacuum (me especially because I only read one parenting book and it was written by a man). So, basically, we have “our ways.” None of this is revolutionary by any means, but we do things like talk to Jack like he’s an (immature) adult. We let him make his own mistakes. We try to limit him to 18 popsicles a day.

And we DO NOT listen to kiddie music. Anymore. There was a dark time about a year ago when we were headed down the path of “Wheels on the Bus” and (god love him in small quantities) Raffi. But it was not a place we wanted to be stuck.

Then one day, I heard the song ‘I Love U” by (stay with me here) The Chainsmokers. This was a band I had always thought of as a punchline. Stupid name, 21st Century TRL aesthetic, probably don’t write their own songs (wait, am I an asshole?). Basically, in the parlance of my punk days, sellouts incarnate.

But this song, “I Love U,” was instantly undeniable to me. It’s got these little Japanese anime soundbites, a super simple electronic drumbeat and a sort of ingenious melody that I could easily sing to Jack OR Reagan. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I hadn’t really even thought about music in a few years. And here I am having an emotional reaction to a band called *checks notes in vain* The Chainsmokers.

And guess what? Jack loved it. It was a sea change for us. We started slowly weaning him off the nursery rhymes and focused on simple songs that were catchy and had an easy chorus. I know what you’re thinking: that’s every song released in the past 12 years. But it’s actually a pretty delicate balance to strike.

Now we are pushing 60 songs. Which doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is HARD to get a new song on this list. (He will like “High Horse” by Kacey Musgraves if it’s the last thing I do.) For Reagan and I: it has to be something we are willing to listen to 1000 times. For Jack: it has to be THE BEST SONG EVER.

Because that’s what every new song is like for him. He’s not just hearing one three-minute tune. He’s making a HUGE decision. Think about it: when you don’t have any idea how time works, each song means a lot. No wonder his taste is so discerning; as far as he’s concerned, this song could last for the rest of eternity. 

Reader Feedback.

-None so far, but I’d love to hear from you. You can always reply directly to this newsletter or send me a note at [email protected]. 

I would really love to hear about your kids’ favorite songs, or how you think about helping a young one define their musical identity (or literally anything else).

One to Watch.

-This section has a double meaning (clever)! I recommend one thing to watch, but it also acknowledges that as parents we typically can only enjoy one show we have to pay attention to at a time. So if you’re in between shows, great. If not, stow this one away for later.

Trying, 4 seasons, 32 episodes, 30-45 minutes, AppleTV+ (sorry)

Note: This show deals with fertility and adoption, so if those are difficult topics for you, please skip down to the bottom.

This British show is about a couple on their journey to have a family. As adoption becomes the only viable avenue, we follow along as they prepare for the ups, downs, and rug pulls of that process. 

Season 4, which concluded in May, does the very delicate and difficult dance of being a season of TV when most of the characters are getting along and tackling challenges together. Parks and Rec did it when Leslie ran for city council, for instance.

It’s the definition of a “feel good show” that also happens to be incredibly funny. Strangely enough another AppleTV+ show falls into this category and it’s similarly called “Shrinking.”

Anyway, on my patent pending parent tv show ranking it gets a 4/5 for being Not Too Complicated, Not Too Long, Not Too Serious, and having Lots of British Accents

That’s it.

We’ll be back next week to continue peeling back the onion that is a music playlist for a 3 year-old. I hope you’ll join me. And if you think there’s someone else out there who would want to read about b-sides from radio bands, please forward this along. 

See you next week,

BLAKE