Saturday, August 06, 2005

Watcha Dora

When I was pregnant and looking at daycare centers for Princess (when I thought I would be returning to work), the one thing I was most concerned with (after safety) was that they didn't prop the kids up in front of the tv all day. I didn't want my kid to be a couch potato by her first birthday, and I felt like if I was paying for them to watch my kid, they should do more than entertain her with cartoons.

Well. So much for that. Princess is almost 20 months old and is addicted to Dora the Explorer. Its already out of control. Her favorite saying is not Mommy or Daddy or I Love You. Its "Watcha Dora" which means "I Need To Watch Dora Now Or I Will Explode" and its said repeatedly until she gets to watch Dora. She has taken to having near-tantrums if I say no.

She sings along with the songs. She talks to the characters. She does what Dora tells her to do (Hug yourself real tight so we can wake up sleeping Boots! Tighter!). She doesn't do what Mommy tells her to do. Somehow Dora has become the authority figure in my house. I have no idea how this happened.

But, it gives me time to blog, as guess what Princess is doing now? Watcha Dora.

Dora, The Devil

23 comments:

xtessa said...

"where are we going?" (clap, clap, clap)...

oh dear, i know what you mean...

Christine said...

My kids are the same way. She's moved on from Dora to Max and Ruby, to Dragon Tales, to Tiny Planets. I kind of miss Dora. ;)

Anonymous said...

I now feel embarrassed to say my daughter is addicted to weird Russian animation about Hedgehogs asking existential questions about life...

My niece was a Dora fan for the first 2 years of her life but has moved on to Cinderella. There is hope. If that constitues as hope of course hehe...

I actually think the people who made Dora are evil, as i knnow SO MANY KIDS addicted to it... strange....

LisaBinDaCity said...

LMAO! Hey, at least it isn't Barney, (who should die painfully for singing that stupid song :-))

Shannon akaMonty said...

A spark of hope: (usually) they outgrow it.

If I ever get my new (old) computer hooked up & actually working, I'll send you a picture of my daughter at halloween a couple years ago when she went as...you guessed it...Dora.
*shudder*

Unknown said...

ehehehe. It only gets worse.

annie said...

Dora is a-Dora-ble! It has something to do with the squeky voices and the colors.
The 6-month-old baby prefers Dora and Sponge-Bob over everything else so far!

kristen said...

Dora, the Wiggles, the Disney princess invasion, it happened to me too. I don't quite know how, especially since there is nothing pink about me!

guppyman said...

Dora... Annoying, pathetic, nasty, distressing, irritating, awful little shit..... Not as bad as Elmo, Telletubbies or Barnie... But pretty damn close!

Kim said...

LOL! This is how it is at my house too. And Dora's got my daughter speaking 'panish' too. She can count to 10, and says 'gracias' all the time. There was a time when she was about 2 years old where she'd say 'Danelcome' for 'you're welcome'. We figure it was a combo of 'da nada' and 'you're welcome'.

beardedriffraff said...

I recall standing behind a Hispanic man in the Party City and he had a balloon of Dora and I said 'Who is that character?' He said 'That is Dora she speaks Spanish and English like my daughter does.' I don't know much about her, but he was pretty happy his daughter had a character with a similiar background to her to watch.

Natsthename said...

Backpack..Backpack...

I'm the MAP, I'm the MAP. I'M THE MAP!

*snicker*

Been there, done that. Bob the Builder is the one that got on my nerves all the time!

Jean-Luc Picard said...

Dora will not be an eternal diversion. Some other animation will take over her life in a while.

You, in the meantime, stay on the sidelines.

Anonymous said...

I feel your pain! Adios!

Robb said...

That Dora is an evil one! Now I have that damn "Backpack, Backpack" stuck in my head! ARGH!

Tracy S said...

Our lil one likes Dora ...She talks back to the tv ..lol It is cute .But her major obsession is Sponge BOb ..Why O why ..why not cute cartoons like rugrats and care bears and stuff ..No it's an annoying as hell sponge of all things ...

Tracy S said...

oh yeah and I often get this stuck in my head :

Da da da da dora ...
and that damn swipers no swiping or something like that ...That fox thing ...lol

Pinterest Failures said...

Ice.....vodka.......Martini!

Ice.....vodka.......Martini!

Where are we going? To the bar!
Where are we going? To the bar!

Sleeping Mommy said...

First of all LOL@Misfit Hausfrau.

Second, when I first became a SAHM with my oldest, he and I both hated Dora. He loved Blue's Clues and that I could tolerate, and eventually I dealt with the Wiggles and a few others. But he would crawl screaming from the room when Dora came on.

He out grew that. Damn it. And by the time my daughter came along he loved it and so does she. Damn it.

Anonymous said...

My daughter is a Disney/Pixar addict. She begs to watch those movies. She can watch one movie before bed if she is a good girl, which is always. In the afternoons, I do let her watch Dora and Blue. She has learned so much from the shows. I can't complain.

Holly said...

My 4 year old son LOVES Dora!!!

My two do go to daycare, and a center with no tv's at that, so I am mostly able to escape the begging for tv. Thank goodness, because I know I'd cave too much. As it is, they watch 1/2 - 1 hour in the morning.

But, boy do I ever get begged for more Dora on weekends and sometimes in the evenings!

Now, my 2 year old knows Dora slogons, from his older bro's am addiction. He sings Backpack, backpack.... as well as the map song.

Sigh. At least I know I am not alone. Damn Noggin.

marlynn said...

LOL - my 14 month old is addicted to the Doodlebops and to his Baby Einstein baby Neptune Video. I tried to stop it...but alas, the more colorful characters won out over boring old mama :)

Anonymous said...

more dora!!

http://www.petiteanglaise.com/archives/2005/08/11/tadpole-the-explorer/

not sure if you read petite anglaise, but thought you might be interetsed in this particular post! ;-)