It seemed like any other day in the Paulsen house, as I had the boys in the backseat and we were headed to the drive-thru to get me some coffee.  On the way, I was struggling to find a song on the radio.  I even became so desperate that I settled on “All Night Long” by Lionel Richie.  The kids were less than thrilled, but I saw a teachable moment.

Pulling up to the drive-thru, I explained that Lionel Richie was singing the song and that Lionel Richie was a member of “The Commodores” and “The Commodores” sang “Brick House.”  Yes, the “Brick House” that is a cult classic in the Paulsen house.  The song that almost requires you to get up and dance to it (while of course spanking your own bottom or someone else’s), whenever it is heard on the radio.  “Brick House,” the only song that we have ever called into a radio station as a family to request.  Yes, that “Brick House.”

Seeing that the boys had a new appreciation for “All Night Long” (or so I thought), I was overcome by a momentary sense of embarrassment, as the barista came up to the drive-thru window to hear our car playing the song a bit too loud.  Well, steeling myself, I decided to keep on the music and explain to the barista that I was just teaching my boys about Lionel Richie.  Her face all at once registered a sort of “you’re-an-old-loser-and-that-is-strange-but-I-will-still-smile-because-I-am-required-to” kind of look.  Ha, she obviously needed to know more about the Lionel Richie – Brick House connection as well, but we had places to be (well, really not “had” to be, but rather we were headed out and about voluntarily, not so much the kids, but me).

Then I heard from the backseat and unmistakable “clicking” sound of my 7-year-old boy Sam trying desperately to open the locked car windows.  Sam obviously had experienced enough and was trying to jump out the window, while the car was still safely stopped at the drive-thru window.  His opportunity for escape was fading fast.  No such luck, kid, but I did turn down the music some to help him cope.

Driving to our next destination, with delicious coffee in hand, my teachable moment surprisingly had one final gasp, as I flipped some more around the radio dial.  There was the unmistakable sampling of Lionel Richie singing “We’re going to party, fiesta, forever” in 2010’s “I Like It” by Enrique Iglesias.  Together my boys and I had musically traveled from the late 1970s to 2010 with Lionel Richie at our side and I am happy to report that I did not lose a single child in the process.  “Shake it down, shake it down now.”

Click on Brick House for the 8 second video tribute, where the Paulsen boys are “lettin’ it all hang out.”