Classic Rock Enthusiast

It is often said that two year olds get fixated, obsessed if you will, on things. For some it may be trucks, or princesses, or sports. This overly passionate love is a normal part of development for most toddlers and my boys are no exception. For Ryder this obsession is classic rock-n-roll. He has had a thing for music for most of his two years. His guitar is definitely his favorite toy, so much so that even Chase calls it Ryder's guitar despite the fact that it technically belongs to both of them. Ryder will sing himself to sleep, and sing himself awake and now that he has a microphone he has many rock star moments. All of this, perhaps odd for a two year old, is something we have all learned is a part of Ryder's being. But, recently, he has taken his love for music to the next level. Scouring his father's insanely large CD collection, he pulls out CD's which catch his eye for one reason or another. Perhaps it is the color or the picture on the front, but he will take that CD and immediately ask about it. Who it is, both the band and the person if they are not the same. He will ask what they are doing. He will ask or rather, emphatically demand to listen to the CD and to hold the case, afterall he needs it he exclaims!! In his inquisition he has learned about Derek and the Dominoes and that their lead singer is Eric Clapton. He asks why he (Eric) is sleeping on the cover and we have explained that sometimes when singing you close your eyes. I am sure he will incorporate this into his act. He has learned about Hendrix, whom he plays guitar lefty just like, The Who, and noticed Roger Daltrey jumps with his guitar, Pink Floyd as a unit and the solo music of David Gilmour and Roger Waters. He has heard the music of Heart and Norah Jones, which he confused for one another when he heard the female voice.
He has taken to bringing CD's to school, listening to them at bedtime, and asking upon awakening for Hendrix. He recognizes the CD by their covers and knows what he wants to listen to, and asks for it by name. One of his favorites is The Who By Numbers. Todd and I love this CD, which works out well. He has not yet learned the lyrics to sing along but I can not imagine that is too far off. And, he is also unable to understand the concept that a CD plays music and a DVD plays a video. As typical of two year olds, in spite of this obsession, we can't get him to sit and listen or watch for more than a few moments. Instead it becomes a frustrating game of playing DJ and changing the CD every so often.
Our once organized CD's have become a scattered mess, they are stamped with fingerprints causing them to skip, and a lot of the books are ripped and jewel cases broken. This is quite irritating for Todd and I and we often take the CD's/DVD's away just for this reason. But, there is a part of us that want to indulge Ryder's musical love and let him be, we certainly do have a few CD's to spare.