“My daughter wants to go to a hip-hop concert with music we don’t like. Should we let her go?”

This week’s Tips On Teens question comes from a mother who is concerned about her daughter’s taste in music. Many parents struggle with this same problem and have no idea how to handle it! Kent is here to give some insight into this topic. Here’s the question:

“My 17 year old daughter wants to go to a concert with friends. The performer is a hip-hop artist, and we don’t like this type of music, both for the lyrics and the content of some of the songs. My daughter argues that just because she and her friends enjoy this music, it doesn’t mean that they will do the things the songs are sometimes about, or use the language that is so prevalent. She has not given us reason to distrust her. I’m honestly torn. It may not be my preference of music I’d like her to listen to, but I know she has to start making decisions for herself and discovering who she wants to be. Any Insight would be appreciated.”