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My kids, 10, 7, and 7 understand American Idol at a very basic level. Their untrained ears can still pick up a horrifically missed or annoyingly oversung note. They know when contestants don't exactly have their #2 pencils sharpened upstairs. And they’re starting to understand the thrill of having favorites and rooting for them (my children are late bloomers when it comes to being competitive... except with each other).
As the new Idol season begins its assault on American culture on January 12, here are ten even deeper life lessons kids might pick up from the show.
1) It's not about winning or losing. It'd just about winning.
2) All it takes to sound smarter is an English accent.
3) Better to be memorable than to be good.
4) Singing someone else's song makes you a hack, but singing it more slowly than the original makes you a genius.
5) It's apparently perfectly acceptable -- and pretty fun -- to land an insult by implying someone is gay (if Simon and Ryan's banter is any indication).
6) Contrary to logic, you cannot overuse hyperboles.
7) If you're a singer, don't talk. If you're a talker, don't sing.
8) Being told "your comfort zone is country music" is not a compliment.
9) Being judged matters, even when it no longer counts.
10) Crazy is as crazy votes.
