A Parent's Quick Guide to "Big Kid Stuff"
To help you orient yourself to the album, here’s a quick(ish) guide to when to use each track. The song titles are linked to YouTube Music, so you can just click them to check out the songs that sound like your family desperately needs them:
You already know how I feel about this song, but anytime someone is stressed, play:
"Stressed Out"
You will 1,000% see me driving around with this blaring out my windows and no kids in the car. I love the tune, the vocals and the message.
When you or your kiddo are feeling sad about the end of that summer's "Loud in the Library" tour, play:
"Mr. Jeff Theme (Introduction)"
If you have spent your summers following Mr. Jeff around to a variety of local libraries (isn't it cool to see all the different children's areas?), you and your family will enjoy the fact that he included his intro music on this album. If your kids are really die hard fans, you can reenact the opening bit where Mr. Jeff can't find or figure out his "trumpet, drums" er, guitar, and then can't seem to figure out how to get it into the correct playing position. My kids have seen this bit at least (not an exaggeration) 30 times. They are still 100% engaged in trying to help Mr. Jeff get his instrument ready for the show. Rock on dad jokes, rock on.
When your child feels like their creative endeavors aren’t well understood, or when you want to encourage them to embrace their own form of creativity, play:
“Picasso.”
If you really want to go early ed on this one, you can do a little exploration about who Picasso was and what his art was all about. The song has rebellious vibes “If they say an eyeball goes there, well you can share, your vision goes anywhere.” As a mother of an 11-year-old who spends an inordinate amount of time creating a tiny world for her crocheted cat, the lines that resonate most deeply with me are “They may say that you are weird, because you smeared your truth till your peace appeared…” and then “You and your art are your own design so shine, shine, shine.”
When your kids say, “I can’t,” play:
“You Can Do Hard Things”
This may be the song I will use the most after Stressed Out. My kids struggle with perfectionism and often want to give up if something doesn’t go perfectly the very first time. We got a preview cut of this track a little while back, and all of them knew the lyrics by heart at the album listening party. I will actually sing this when I hear “I can’t.” It reminds me of their karate sensei’s mantra “I can, and I will.”
When you want to teach them about hard things in the world, or they hear about war or famine and you need to explain, play:
“We Hear You”
The world is full of suffering and injustice. Mr. Jeff gently, and without agenda, encourages our kids to listen and recognize the suffering of others and support others with empathy. This one has “We Are the World” vibes in the best of ways.
When you want to cry about (or feel close to) your own dad, play:
“Girl Dad”
The key message in this song for me is “Don’t you worry, you are always safe here.” That’s what we girls all want, to feel safe and unconditionally loved by our girl dad. We want him to kiss our boo boo and make it all better. After losing my dad when he was my age and I was a teen, this song immerses me so deeply in the feels I find it hard to talk about without getting emotional. When Juni says, “I need help,” and when Mr. Jeff says “I love you too” at the end… just prepare yourself. It’s beautiful.
When you want to encourage their identity development and tolerance, play:
“I’ll Never Be Anyone but Me”
The Peter Gabriel sound sample (I still don’t know what a fruit cage is) easter egg makes me smile, but the real highlight of this song is the lyrics. “If you like me for me…” This one will help your kids feel good being themselves and offer you an opportunity to teach them what it means to accept others for who they are.
When potty-training accidents happen, or when you just need a good laugh together play
“Fly by Toilet”
Mr. JEFF DO NOT TELL MY BOYS TO STAND UP AT THE POTTY. Their aim is terrible. I know I joked earlier that I would skip this one if I was alone in the car, but it’s actually a bit of a jam. I love the surprising chord progression for the line that starts with “splashed with airmail drops,” and ending with “it’s supposed to be good luck.” And, bonus, the song normalizes using the bathroom without using the p*#p word!
When they are being hard on themselves for making a mistake or a bad choice, play
“Uh Oh”
This is the follow up tune to “Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful.” It expands on the question “what if I spill juice on my shirt?” and helps kids use their problem-solving skills. This song has Elvis in Vegas vibes for me. I don’t claim to have Mr. Jeff’s encyclopedic knowledge of American song styles, but that’s what this is, right?
When you want to announce or initiate family game night, or when you want a little flashback to late 80s/early 90s Mortal Combat culture, listen to
“Game Night with the Fam.”
‘Nuff said.
When you’re trying to develop global citizens, listen to
"All Over the World"
You will swear you’ve heard this 100% original tune before. It has a totally recognizable early Americana feel and utilizes an obscure, little known instrument – the mouth trumpet. If you attend a Mr. Jeff show, you’ll get a lesson on how to play it: “pinkies up, because we’re fancy!”
When you want to cry about the fact that your precious babies are growing up way too fast, or when you want to encourage them through their growing pains, play
“Big Kid Stuff.”
“Now I have responsibilities, saying please and brushing my own teeth.” Yes! I’ve already requested a follow-up about what responsibilities look like across different households. I feel like we parents could use some ‘proof’ that indeed other kids are required to do chores. The highlight of this one for me is the call and response self-affirmation chant – I am kind, I am creative, I am courageous, I am smart, I am mindful, I am unique, I am curious, I am powerful.
Our kids need to hear us say that they are kind, creative, courageous, smart, mindful, unique, curious and powerful. Then, they need to say it about themselves.
