When I found out I was going to be a dad, I had a lot of plans.

Not “this will never happen” stuff or “I’m going to do things the right way! stuff – I knew even before he was born that my pre-parent ideas were unlikely to stand up to reality. But I had a lot of ideas about what I wanted to teach my son, especially when it comes to pop culture stuff I planned to pass down.

Some of them are still pending – I still can’t wait to show my kids The Karate Kid and introduce them to “The Wire” when they’re older – but a few of them have taken hold with Detective Munch already, particularly Star Wars, superheroes, and The Beatles.

So while I appreciate Netflix’s cool new show, I’m happy to say I beat “Beat Bugs” to the punch!

I’ve never really seen the need for kiddie music.

There is so much good music out there, made by adults, for adults, that’s perfectly accessible and appropriate to children. One need look no further than the Beatles, arguably the greatest rock band of all time, and there is no better entrée into the world of rock music than the Fab Four. (Sure, some of their later output is drug-tinged, but that is neither apparent nor relevant to kids. Just don’t play them Revolution 9.)

So I skipped Raffi and the Wiggles and went straight to the good stuff – stuff that my kids can enjoy now and can keep listening to when they’re older – and introduced the Beatles to my son almost immediately (I’ll do the same for The Hammer). He took to them quickly, and now, at five, Detective Munch is already a big Beatles fan – he repeatedly tells people he plans to start a rock band when he grows up, a rock band he plans to call “Beatles 2” and in which he will be John. As you can see by the picture, he’s already got the hair!

I AM THE GREATEST FATHER IN THE WORLD.

I helped him along by showing him the Yellow Submarine movie, which is a cartoon (score!) full of catchy, classic Beatles tunes (score!) that one need not be under the influence to enjoy (score!) (it doesn’t hurt tho.) Detective Munch worships this movie. He watches it on every road trip. And now, as a result, he sings along to “When I’m Sixty-four”, “Nowhere Man,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” and even Eleanor Rigby. ELEANOR RIGBY! I didn’t get into Eleanor Rigby until high school. This dude’s crushing it at five!

Again: I AM THE GREATEST FATHER IN THE WORLD.

At this point, he clearly doesn’t need Beat Bugs, the new Netflix show featuring adorable little insects who explore friendships and sing cover versions of classic Beatles tunes by artists like Eddie Vedder, Pink, Sia, and more. But when I told him about it, he was interested. He could listen to Beatles songs while watching TV? How could he not be interested?!

I had to explain the concept of “cover songs” to him, and I repeatedly have to remind him that the original versions are better (in almost all cases, but especially when it comes to the Beatles – which isn’t to say there aren’t some great ones. My favorite might be Fiona Apple’s “Across the Universe”) but he still loves the songs on the show, and he loves the show. Hell, I love the show. Hearing “Help!” and “Blackbird” in the background is a lot better than hearing whatever gibberish the Power Rangers spout on that execrable show.

So no, my son doesn’t need “Beat Bugs” to introduce him to a band he already loves, but more exposure to the Beatles, and to good music in general, can’t hurt. And I hope this show gets all your kids into this band, if they aren’t already. They are like the gateway drug into rock music, with or without the benefit of actual gateway drugs.

Music, and the Beatles, are a big part of my life, and I’m determined to make it a big part of my kids’ lives. So far so good. And I didn’t even have to play Detective Munch the lullaby versions.

As part of the Netflix Stream Team, I was compensated with a year’s subscription to Netflix and a Roku TV. But my opinions are 100% my own. Except for the ones Mom and Buried provides for me.