Peter Alsop‘s SONGS TO CHEW

Peter Alsop
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  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Humor, wisdom & commentary by Peter Alsop on his award winning songs and stories; some for kids & families, some for teens and adults! peteralsop.substack.com

  1. OCT 4

    Letter To Mr. Brown

    THE LETTER TO MR. BROWN Dear Mr. Brown, from the kids in Room Two G-C-G We’re writing you a letter, like you taught us to do C-G-C-D We all got together at lunch this noon G-Em-C And we decided we’d better do something soon. G-C-D9-G ‘Cause lately you’ve been diff’rent, and we don’t know why G-A-Am-G Did we do something wrong? Am7-G We’re sorry and we’ll try C-D9 To act a little better, if we’ve been bad G-A-Am-G We all think that you’re the best teacher we’ve had Am7-G-D9-G You used to hold our hands, Am7-G When we walked across the street Am7-G You used to help us wash them, Am7-G Just before we went to eat C-D9 And you used to kneel down and help G-Am7 Jose’ tie up his shoes, Bm7-C And sometimes you would thumb-wrestle, G-Am7 Usually you’d lose! D9-G You used to boost up Ray and Alice on the monkey bars Am7-G-Am7-G You used to put your arm around us, Am7-G When we got our stars C-D9 Whenever we played ‘tag’, you were ‘it’ the most, G-Am7-Bm7-C N’ you’d even help Tyrone G-Am7 When he’d forget to blow his nose! D9-G You used to help us button up Am7-G Our coats, when it was chilly Am7-G You used to mess our hairs up, Am7-G With your hand, when we were silly. C-D9 N’ you used to hug us sometimes, G-Am7 When we fell and hurt our knees, Bm7-C But you never touch us anymore, Em, So Mr. Brown, please, … Dm7+9-D9 Tell us why you’re mad at us, G-A And honest, we will change! Am-G You still help us learn to read and add, Am7-G but now you’re acting strange C-D9 You never made us nervous, G-A Or kept us after school Am-G You never touched us anywhere Am7-G That was against the rules D9-G So, Mr. Brown please, tell us what we did, G-C-Em-G And we hope you read our letter, ‘Cause it’s signed by ev’ry kid C-G-C-D9-G Signed: Robert, Susan, Rosie, Lee, Ian, Mark, and Russell T., G-Am7, G-Am7 Jade, and Alice, Nico, Ray, Darrell, Thomas, Russell A., G-Am7, G-Am7 Ellen, Jennifer, and Mary, Lynn, Felicia, and Gary, G-Am7, G-Am7 Jose’, Reggie, Barbara, Joan, Em7-Em6 Harold, and your friend, Tyrone C-D9-G Written by Peter Alsop, © 1986, Moose School Music (BMI) On ‘Take Me With You!’ and ‘Songs On Sex & Sexuality’ Thanks to Megan & Willow Geer-Alsop and Vinessa Shaw for singing with me! www.peteralsop.com I wrote the LETTER TO MR. BROWN in 1986 to address the difficult situations faced by adults who work with children. It mentions healthy and safe ways that adults have caring physical contact with children as we help them go through their day. Of course, child sexual abuse has not ‘gone away’ since then. It’s often hidden, yet it’s still very current in the today’s news. It happens all around the world, from the Epstein files to abductions and rapes, and there’s always the constant, not-very-subtle subjugation faced by victims and survivors of our patriarchy and male dominant cultures. This power-based subjugation is felt by girls and boys and non-gender specific kids and their families, and by members of the LGBTQIA+ and the #MeToo movement communities, along with millions of other individuals in the privacy of our own homes and families. Although there are plentiful resources that provide sexual abuse prevention materials online, ... it’s still uncomfortable for parents to address this subject with our own kids. When we became parents, most of us didn’t get lessons about how to talk with our children about being safe. And of course, we don’t want to scare our children unnecessarily. Many adults have concerns about appropriate touching or hugging kids. Parents and step-parents, school teachers, principals and pre-school aides, doctors and nurses, religious leaders and Little League coaches and Brownie troop organizers, have all learned to avoid touching children for any reason, except for emergencies, and even then, we want to be sure there’s another adult in the room because of fear. No one wants to get into trouble for being accused of doing something wrong! And our kids want and need to know that they’re important, cared for and loved. How we touch them lets them know that, in very powerful ways that no words can quite convey. When an adults stops hugging and touching in healthy, appropriate ways, children often blame themselves and think that they must have done something wrong to deserve it. When their teacher Mr. Brown was told to refrain from having any physical contact with his students, they think it must have been something THEY did, … that it was their ‘fault’. It’s really the job of an adult to set clear physical boundaries with children. Even a simple hug can be inappropriate if the adult is feeling sexually aroused or needy and using the child to meet their own needs. Healthy children, like healthy adults who have learned to trust their feelings, usually know when something feels ‘creepy’ or ‘not quite right’. It’s confusing and abusive to children and to our own ‘inner child’ when we mix what should have been a caring hug with a goal-oriented sexual caress. Along with modeling a number of examples of ways that teachers can touch and help children in appropriate ways, this song also models an honest and healthy negotiation between the kids and their teacher. They noticed something going on with Mr. Brown, and rather than ignore or discount their ‘funny feelings’, they wrote a letter to him and every one of the kids signed it! Their ‘letter’ brings it out in the open, so they can all talk about it. Thousands of people have played this song with kids, and then they discuss the things that the song addresses. That’s where we become ‘a safe place’ for the kids, as we answer their questions. It’s what I call ‘chewing on a song’! And lots of questions will come up, so we need to have patience, and the courage to take the time to have those discussions. It’s always okay for a parent to say “Gee, ... I don’t know the answer to that question. I’ll find out!” or “How do you think we should handle this to make it feel safe for everyone?” Illustration by Terri Asher KIDPOWER.ORG More than fifty years ago, my dear friends Irene Van der Zande and Timothy Dunphy started a program called Kidpower. They continue to present wonderful programs for children, teens and parents about how to empower children and families to be safe as we grow up together. They will come to your town and present a workshop with you or your organization. Both of my daughters went through their program, and more recently, my granddaughter and grandson have taken their training too! It’s a real gift that ‘keeps on giving’ for the rest of that child’s life. They help us parents too! One of the many suggestions that Kidpower gives to families about keeping kids safe, is to have the parents and the child make up a special password that no one else knows. Then if the parent’s plans change, and they can’t pick the child up after school or from a party or event, ... they can give that special password to a friend and ask them to meet their child. When that friend shows up, they can help the child feel safe about the change in plans by sharing the special ‘password’, so the child knows that their parents sent them. If that adult doesn’t know the password, then the child knows to wait for their parents. . Kidpower.org, ... check it out! Thanks for stopping by, … I’m Peter Alsop. Please share any of my posts that might be helpful to someone you know. Peter Alsop’s SONGS TO CHEW Audio podcasts Thanks for reading Peter Alsop’s Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. Click here to see All of Peter’s albums! To send me a comment, you can sign in as a Substack member by clicking the button above. It’s free, but you can always email me at peter@peteralsop.com. I’d love to hear from you! You don’t have to be a ‘paid’ subscriber to get my posts. Everyone gets ‘em, … some folks send in money to support my work. In either case, glad you’re here! Thanks for spreading the word! Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

    4 min

  2. SEP 29

    Baby Needs A Parent

    As a psychologist and songwriter, I’ve made my living lecturing, consulting, writing songs and doing concerts for kids, parents and human service professionals. I’ve presented at conferences and concerts all over the world for more than 50 years. I wrote ‘Baby Needs A Parent’ in 1980, when most single parent families were headed by Moms. These days there are more Dads heading single-parent families than there were back then, but a 2022 US census reported that approximately 80% of single-parent families with kids under 18 are still headed by women, as compared to only 20% headed by single men. BABY NEEDS A PARENT Baby don’t need no silver spoon G Don’t need no rub-a-dub-dub G-D It’s apparent that a baby needs a parent who G-C Can give that baby some love! D-D7-G Now every baby’s got one Mama And every baby’s got one Pop These days some babies live with one or the other Cause the parents get all split-up! Now if a baby’s only got one person To guide that baby along Well you might think “that’s a one-sided baby” But maybe you might be wrong Though everybody says that a baby girl Needs to learn a woman’s gentle touch And a boy needs a man to raise him, and To show him how to be tough, . . You know a baby can grow-up gentle, When a gentle Daddy takes good care. And a baby can grow up stron and brave When a strong, brave Mama is there! Baby don’t need no silver spoon Don’t need no rub-a-dub-dub It’s apparent that a baby needs a parent who Can give that baby some love! Now every baby’s gotta have at least one person Who can be both gentle and strong Well if the Mama and the Daddy can both do that Then that baby’s never gonna go wrong! Baby don’t need no silver spoon Don’t need no rub-a-dub-dub It’s apparent that a baby needs a parent who Can give that baby, … some love! Written by Peter Alsop, ©1980 Moose School Music (BMI) On Uniforms and Songs On Sex & Sexuality – www.peteralsop.com Society sees mothers and fathers differently. For thousands of years, people have felt that child rearing is primarily a woman’s domain. Mothers have always been expected to be the best person for that job. The old image of a father, who never changed a diaper, doesn’t know how to make meals for his kids, and who functions as ‘the bread-winner’ has faded, as men in the US today, take a much more active role in raising their children than we used to when I was a child. In the past, divorce courts usually awarded child custody to the mother of young children, because mothers were assumed to be the ‘better’ parent. The father, if he was lucky, would get visitation rights. (Remember Robin Williams as“Mrs. Doubtfire”?) Fortunately, more courts are allowing men custody and more quality time with our children. That’s a big change for the better, although there is still plenty of room for more equity. Much of the research on single parents has centered around single moms. When compared to mothers with partners, (regardless of gender), single moms have higher levels of psychological distress, generally lower socio-economic status, and their physical health is worse. They are also at greater risk of mortality. Single fathers are still largely understudied. As a culture, we still do not fully acknowledge that men can be great dads and primary caregivers for children. There are support groups, and books for all dads, and we see ‘changing’ tables in men’s bathrooms now, so things are changing. Even so, I think we are still way behind where we ought to be with encouraging our sons and young men to see themselves as caregivers and nurturers. I’d love to hear from any of you folks with your suggestions or examples of what we can do to raise our sons, so our daughters won’t need a #MeToo Movement when they grow up? Illustration by Terri Asher Thanks for joining us. In addition to my Substack video posts, there are also 250 episodes of my audio podcast, Peter Alsop’s ‘Songs To Chew’, available on Substack. Each episode covers one of my songs, or a portion of one of my kid’s albums, and we explore the very human ideas that generated the songs. We discuss how parents, teachers, doctors, nurses, therapists and counselors use my songs with their students and clients. Some are humorous. Some help folks look at the emotions that drive our behaviors. We unravel how music and the arts can create a safe place for clients and family members to talk, and be more clear about what’s going on around us. These songs help us find better ways to process what’s happening in our lives, so we can make the changes we need to make. Peter Alsop’s ‘Songs To Chew’ Audio Podcasts All Albums Thanks for reading Peter Alsop’s Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. To send me a comment, you can sign in as a Substack member by clicking the button above. It’s free, but if you don’t want to signup as a member, you can always email me at peter@peteralsop.com. That’ll work! I’d love to hear from you! You can join and subscribe for free, but you don’t have to be a ‘paid’ subscriber to get my posts. Everyone gets ‘em, … some folks send in money to support my work. In either case, glad you’re here! Thanks for spreading the word! Peter Alsop’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

    3 min

  3. JUL 15

    Peter Alsop's "Ebenezer's Make Over"

    Have you ever laughed, cried or sung-along with one of my songs? If so, I’m guessing you’ll like this full length feature video of my new play-concert “Ebenezer’s Make Over”! It’s about a modern-day Ebenezer Scrooge who is visited by three spirits in the night. They shake him awake with passionate and humorous songs written by Holly Near, Geof Morgan, Charlie Murphy, myself and other cultural workers from the feminist men’s and women’s movements. Scrooge learns what will happen to him and the rest of us if we don’t change our sexist behaviors! You can watch the whole show here on Substack. Here’s what a couple of our audience members said right after they saw the play. “Wow! Peter’s “Ebenezer’s Make Over” was truly brilliant, moving, creative and effective. It represented the best of what the Theatricum offers, powerful social impact, education, wisdom and fun!!” “You have to take this show on the road immediately! Everyone in the country needs to see this NOW!!” The entire show is on the video I’ve uploaded. So find a friend or two, and something to sip and eat. Turn off your phone. Sit back and enjoy! I know that Substack is loaded with folks who like to read, … so for this particular post, I was going to print the song lyrics for every one of these songs, … and then I realized that I’ve already captioned the entire video! So you can read to your heart’s content, while you are actually watching the show! Now all you need is some company and some pop corn! Bon Appétit! (Remember you can enlarge the image to ‘Full Screen’ once you’ve started the show!) Oh! One more thing, … on Thursday morning July 17th, the National Organization of Men Against Sexism (NOMAS) will showcase this video at their National Conference in San Antonio Texas. Allen Corben, co-chair of NOMAS will open the session as a Zoom meeting, making it available to anyone in the world who would like to watch the video with us and hopefully participate in a :20 minute talk-back discussion at the end. The Zoom Session starts at 8:45a -10:15a = Western time (Mountain=9:45-11:15a) (Central=10:45-12:15p) (Eastern=11:45-1:15p). Here's the link to Allen Corben's Zoom Room: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7918832439 Click on ‘Launch Meeting’, and you’ll be admitted to the ‘waiting room’. Allen opens it five minutes before the session begins. I’ll be on the Zoom call to say “Hello!” and speak with people to answer questions. Anyone can log into this Zoom meeting. Watch “Ebenezer's Make Over” on your own computer during the session. Please text, call or write me (peter@peteralsop.com) with any questions or other ideas. Thanks!! And I want you to know that you will never have to pay as one of my subscribers. I do greatly appreciate that some old friends have paid something into my Substack fund, and it helps defray the studio costs I incur putting these video projects together. That’s it for this post! Enjoy! Bye for now, Peter All albums Peter’s ‘Songs To Chew’ Audio Podcasts Thanks for reading Peter Alsop’s Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. Peter Alsop’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 24m
  4. When One Is Too Many

    MAR 28

    When One Is Too Many

    Here’s an anthem I wrote from one of the Twelve-Step sayings. We sang this on the main stage with the audience at the 1986 Philadelphia Folk Festival, along with my friends Kim and Reggie Harris. Join us! WHEN ONE IS TOO MANY One drink, one smoke, one snort of coke A-D A sugar slip, hey, a mainline trip A-E-E7 Are you sick and tired of feeling sick and tired? A-D My friend, I know you know what’s required! A-E-E7 Cho: When one is too many, and a thousand ain’t enough, A-D You cannot do any, hey, you got to get tough! A-E7 When one is too many, and a thousand ain’t enough, A-D You cannot do any, hey, you got to get tough! A-E7-A, E7 I used to love to go get tight With all my friends, we could laugh all night, But we take too much, and before too long We start to fighting, man, you know something’s wrong! Chorus We love too much, we try to please, But sometimes life brings us to our knees So we hide the hurt, the way we know We got to learn some other way to go! Chorus So take a cold shower, (brrr!!) make you do a little dance! Call a friend who knows you and give yourself a chance Or you could grab your partner, go hop in the sack Yeah, make crazy love and bounce that monkey off your back! Chorus (3x) Yes, you got to get tough! Yes, you got too, you get tough! Written by Peter Alsop, ©1984, Moose School Music (BMI) On Fan Club Favorites and Songs On Recovery & Addiction www.peteralsop.com It’s so very ‘human’ of us, when we feel pain, to try to find something to make the pain stop. Many of us choose to use medicators like food, alcohol or other drugs. Others choose to medicate using work or exercise or care-taking other people’s lives, rather than deal with our own painful feelings. And some of us find and follow a ‘savior’, … someone who promises us they will care for us so we won’t have to do the hard work of exploring where our pain comes from. There’s nothing wrong with eating food or working or caring for others, … it’s only when we do these things obsessively and compulsively to avoid our own painful feelings, that our ‘little flag’ pops up to let us know that we’ve become addicted to our medicator. There is something very wrong when we become addicted to a ‘savior’ who lies to us about ‘helping us’. Many of us struggle today with painful fear, anger and sadness about losing our democracies at home and around the world. I applaud all of us, who have struggled to deal with addiction, and I hope that working our Twelve-Step programs have provided us with tools to non-violently remove any ‘saviors’ we might have relied on in the past. Sometimes, ‘one’ is definitely ‘too many’! When I describe other people, I try to avoid using labels. Labels are ‘nouns’ that ‘slot’ us and separate us into specific closed categories. We’re told that we’re an ‘immigrant’ or a ‘patriot’ or we’re ‘good’ or ‘bad’. If we accept those limiting definitions of ourselves, then we fall right back into a binary-brain, either-or view of the world, which will only allow simple either-or solutions, when much more nuanced thinking and options are required. I prefer to use ‘verbs’ because they describe ‘what we do’, and we can change ‘what we do’! Verbs give us clear markers for where we can actually make those changes. They focus on our actions and behaviors, and provide us with ways to proceed when we feel ‘stuck’. They help us find our balance. In 12-Step programs we talk about ‘hitting a bottom’. That happens when we grow ‘sick and tired, of feeling sick and tired’. We finally become willing to deal with our addictions, and we look for other healthier ways to live our lives. We learn to rely on community support when we begin to fall back on our old behavior patterns and medicators and notice when we feel helpless and powerless to change. Recovery really is a process. It’s something we learn to do one step at a time. We pay attention to our ‘verbs’, learn our lessons and work our program in order to recover, get back into balance, and live a better, more caring, healthier life, personally, with our families, friends, and neighbors, our organizations and countries and our larger world human society. All albums Peter’s ‘Songs To Chew’ Audio Podcasts Thanks for reading Peter Alsop’s Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. I’d love to hear from you! Please Re-stack, like or ask questions. Let me know what actions you are taking! Peter Alsop’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

    5 min

  5. 12/19/2024

    When Jesus Was A Kid

    WHEN JESUS WAS A KID It’s Christmas time again D And the mall is really weird. Everyone gets stressed out Christmas shopping every year. D-A7 I have to stop and wonder, Looking at my Christmas list When Jesus was a kid, Would He be doing this? A7-D I know He was a baby, But did He ever cry? Did Jesus wet His diapers, Or were they always dry? Did He use a bottle Before He used a cup? Did Jesus throw things on the floor For Mary to pick up? Did Mary ever spank him? G Ahh, does the Bible say? D Did Jesus scream and holler G When things didn’t go His way? Em-A7 I know He was a baby, D But I wonder what He did When He was about, my age, A7 When Jesus was a kid? A7-D Did He have birthday parties? I like to think He might But then I have to wonder, Well, like, who did He invite? Were there other kids in bathrobes Who played tag the way we do? Was He bummed out when His birthday gifts Said “Merry Christmas” too!? Did Jesus put on sunscreen, Or did He wear a floppy hat? Living in a desert, you can sunburn, (snap!) Just like that! And He prob’ly hated eating ‘Camel milk with mushy peas’ Or can Saviors just get out of Eating gross things when They please? N’He prob’ly hoped His Dad would let Him Have a B-B gun I mean His father Joseph, You know, not the other One It’s not like it’s a war toy, Jesus wouldn’t hurt a flea. And He’d never point at anyone, He’d be as safe as me! And if His mother found it, She wouldn’t make a scene She’d NEVER hide it in the attic, No, she was NOT that mean! He wanted “Peace On Earth” And “Good Will” to kids I mean He was a kid Himself, So I’m sure He really did We fight wars and we spill oil. We mess up the sand. I bet a kid like Jesus Prob’ly wouldn’t understand He’d see us Christmas shoppers Trying hard to close our eyes To the homeless people sleeping Near expensive stuff we buy I might be wrong, But I’m a kid too, so I might be right If we asked that kid Jesus, “Is all this stuff all right? Can we buy Christmas spirit If we spend lots of dough?” Well I think that kid Jesus, Would just say “No!” Christmas isn’t about shopping, It’s about the way we care It’s thinking “What would that kid Jesus Do if He was here?” So if some kid you know, Messes up something they did, Remember, Jesus was a human too, When He was a kid Acting like a kid at Christmas, Should not be a sin So remember when we do it, We’re only acting just like Him! So this Christmas, let’s just BE NICE To each other, don’t you see? When Jesus was a kid, He was a lot like you and me! When Jesus was a kid, He needed love like you and me! Written by Peter Alsop, ©1991, Moose School Music (BMI) Illustration by Bill Buerge. Check it out on Bandcamp! The idea for this song came to me in the late ‘80s driving to San Diego to train school teachers how to use music to help kids with drug and child abuse prevention. I’d just finished a song for kids about how we can set healthy boundaries and how to just say ‘No!’, when something doesn't feel safe, or when it feels like someone is lying to us or trying to manipulate us. I happened to tune in on a conservative Christian talk show. The host was making some pretty mean-spirited comments telling us that we are all sinners. He said pretty soon Jesus was coming back again from where-ever He’d gone, … and He was really upset with us sinners! The host asked us to pray and send money to his station. He was going to count to three, and the he wanted us all together to say “Yes!” at the same time! And right at that minute I thought “If Jesus came back right now, … I’m sure He would ‘Just Say NO!’ to you! He’d set a big healthy boundary about all the shame and guilt stuff you’re handing out to everyone!” I majored in ‘Religion’ at Trinity College in Connecticut, because the world has a wide assortment of people with powerful beliefs about their religions, and I love hearing about all of them. This radio host got me thinking about what thoughts Jesus would have had about all this stuff we do every year, when he was just a kid. Maybe if we pay closer attention the kids in our lives today, ‘listen’ to them more closely instead of telling them what we think they ‘should’ do. We might rediscover our sense of holiness that seems to be missing. Being alive together here on this planet, we get occasional glimpses of our very special sacredness. Where does that awareness go? Can we simply make an effort to work harder on caring about and loving each other? Will that make it come back? Can we simply make a conscious effort to open our own hearts, whenever we hug a loved one or when we see beauty around us or in others? I hear the songs from the people of the world, full of joy and sadness, fear and anger, and their feelings touch me with their music. How about you? I’d love to hear how you feel and what you think about this. And ‘Yes’, … if we open our hearts, we become vulnerable, but when we do, we also make room to feel love that can guide us through the challenges we will meet as we face this new, exciting year ahead of us. Now we’re here. Peter Alsop’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

    5 min

  6. 12/15/2024

    It's Only A Wee-Wee, So What's The Big Deal?

    When my buddy Utah Phillips recorded my song, ‘It’s Only A Wee-Wee, So What’s The Big Deal?’, he introduced it by saying, “Now here’s my idea of a kids’ song folks! Full bore, overhead cam, spoke wire-wheels, no holds barred damn kids’ song! None of that ‘knicky-knacky-nu’ stuff we were stuck with when we were kids. When’s the last time you actually said ‘wee-wee’ in public? ‘It’s only a wee-wee, so what’s the big deal? It’s only a wee-wee so what’s all the fuss? It’s only a wee-wee and everyone’s got one, there’s better things to discuss!” It’s a fun song I wrote in 1981 designed to open up safe discussions about how our binary gender-roles assign many attributes to boys and men that also described girls and women, … and visa-versa. Females can be strong and heroic. Males can be gentle and caring. Let’s just act like ourselves! Illustration by Terri Asher That was almost 50 years ago! Nowadays we’re aware of a slew of other factors we need to consider as we discover ‘who’ we are with regard to our sexual identity, orientation, biological, physical, emotional, hormonal, and genetic make-up! There are so many different factors now in the wide spectrum of information we have to consider, that it’s no longer possible to make a simple binary choice of a label that fits us correctly. Our gender identities have been limited to being either male or female for thousands of years, and we carry those gender labels with us, throughout our lives, that were assigned to us solely on the physical appearance of our g******s at birth. Our predominant culture demands that we accept our gender assignment, and when it does not fit with our own experience of ourselves, it takes great courage to push back against the pressure to conform. Some of us have been lucky enough to have family, friends, and other allies who support us in our exploration of this part of our human journey as we grow up, but many have not had that support. If we do speak up, it’s often alone, and we are attacked, abused, and discounted for simply not fitting into one of the two choices we’re given. So here we are singing ‘It’s Only A Wee-Wee’ at a ‘Healing Power of Laughter And Play Conference’ with 1400 hundred human service professionals! I hereby officially reframe my chorus to this song by saying: “Having discussions with other safe, caring people as we grow and explore and discover who we are as sexual human beings is a VERY BIG DEAL! We begin to free ourselves from the constraints of our binary assignments when we sing together about our g******s! Please join us!” IT’S ONLY A WEE-WEE, SO WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL? As soon as you’re born G Grown-ups check where you pee C And then they decide D-D7 Just how you’re supposed t’be G-(C-G) Girls pink and quiet, G Boys noisy and blue C Seems like a dumb way D-D7 To choose what you’ll do G-(C-G) Cho: It’s only a wee-wee G So what’s the big deal? C It’s only a wee-wee D-D7 So what’s all the fuss? G It’s only a wee-wee G And everyone’s got one C There’s better D-D7 Things to discuss!! G-(C-G) Now girls must use make-up Girls’ names and girls’ clothes And boys must use sneakers But not pantyhose! The grown-ups will teach you The rules to their dance, And if you get confused, They’ll say “Look in your pants!” Chorus If I live to be nine, I won’t understand Why grown-ups are tot’ly Obsessed with their glands If I touch myself, ... “Don’t you do that!” I’m told, And they treat me like I might explode! Chorus Now grown-ups watch closely Each move that we make Boys must not cry, And girls must make cake It’s all very formal, And I think it smells Let’s all be abnormal And act like ourselves! Chorus (extra Adult verse) She walked to the market Past brave cavaliers She tried to avoid them, They whistled and jeered She gave them the finger, They gave her more noise So she stopped and she sang To those bright ‘little boys’ Cho: It’s only a wee-wee, So what’s the big deal? It’s only a wee-wee, So why do you watch? It’s only a wee-wee, And everyone’s got one There’s more to life Than your crotch!! Written by Peter Alsop, ©1981, Moose School Music (BMI) For more discussion check out Peter Alsop’s SONGS TO CHEW audio podcast here on Substack or anywhere you get podcasts! Peter Alsop’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. www.peteralsop.com Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

    4 min
  7. Yecch!

    09/29/2023

    Yecch!

    Today's 'Song To Chew' is YECCH! from my “Wha'D'Ya Wanna Do?" album.  I play this song at almost every family concert because almost veryone loves screaming "Yecch!" at the top of their lungs!  It's a 'scream-along' so you can join in with us!  It's full of make-believe and playfulness, and it's an example of how story and oral tradition grab our attention and engage us. There is an air of danger when we face unknown monsters.  When adults laugh with kids at "yecchy" stuff, kids recognize a kindred spirit.  They know I'm not going to be a 'judgmental' adult if I'm willing to sing a gross song like this, and they're more likely to listen to what I have to say. "Booger-humor" is as basic and as old as the pun and poop jokes!  The fun comes from watching 'normal' adults get 'grossed out' by mentioning snot or slime!  It's got elements of rebellion in it that appeal to those of us who doesn't always accept the family rules about 'being polite'.  We can be "gross" in defiance of the socially accepted norms and still not get in any trouble.  Kids often find themselves in overwhelming or abrasive social interactions, and they actually 'need' to embrace fantasy as a way of checking out from the usual 'family zoo' energy.  I’m Peter Alsop.  I’ll be back soon with another ‘Song to Chew’.  Bye for now!  ~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156 ~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1 ~ www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop ~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop  = videos ~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop  = support my music & other artistic endeavors ~ www.peteralsop.com/music  = CDs & downloads Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

    6 min
  8. Let’s Face It!

    09/22/2023

    Let’s Face It!

    Today's 'Song To Chew' is LET'S FACE IT! from my “In The Hospital" album.  It addresses facial disfigurement, and all the unsettling emotions that we go through when we feel that we're different than others around us.  It's difficult emotionally, whether we're an adult or a child, to figure out how we're going to behave when others stare at us and feel uncomfortable. We have to cope with our own feelings of being left out and rejected. Maintaining a healthy, positive self-image is a lifelong process for all of us. Children born with physical "differences", or who become physically "different" are particularly vulnerable to the reactions of others.  These reactions strongly influence how we feel about ourselves. We need all the support we can get, so that we don't accept a negative self-image of ourself.  And this happens with our skin color too.  Nowadays black kids, and tan, yellow and white kids with freckles all get treated together in hospitals, and it wasn't always that way!  People's attitudes and behaviors change slowly, but they do change! ~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156 ~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1 ~ www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop ~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop  = videos ~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop  = support my music & other artistic endeavors ~ www.peteralsop.com/music  = CDs & downloads Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

    8 min
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Humor, wisdom & commentary by Peter Alsop on his award winning songs and stories; some for kids & families, some for teens and adults! peteralsop.substack.com

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