Dora Addiction

Jesse and I don't watch a whole lot of TV so I didn't expect that our kids would either. Not that it makes much difference, but I expected that our kids would mostly watch movies so we could control what they were watching, as well as avoid commercials. I don't have a thing against kids watching TV per se - just in excess.

So to my surprise, I've created a little Dora the Explorer addict. I don't know exactly how it happened since I had no clue who Dora was three years ago. The first time I had heard or seen Dora was when I was pregnant and saw her on TVO while I was recovering from my appendectomy (yes, at 16 weeks pregnant).

Audrey's addiction runs deep. She doesn't just request to watch TV, she specifically asks for "TV Dora". She started just asking for Dora, but when we purposely would respond with a Dora book, she found a way to be more specific. And I've had to deal with many a puddle of tears and tantrums after I've told Audrey that she can't watch Dora before she goes to daycare during the week.

It's not like we give her free reign to watch Dora. Audrey has even picked up on our aversion to letting her watch Dora; when she asks, she now says "TV Dora - a little bit?" or "TV Dora - maybe?" Or, when an episode winds down with the "We did it" song, she makes sure to put in a request for another episode right away - even though the current episode has about 3 minutes left on it.

Audrey's love of Dora isn't limited to the TV show. She also has a good collection of books, two Dora dolls, a Dora the Explorer suitcase shaped like a school bus, a Dora blanket, a Dora sippy cup and plate and bowl set at her Grandparents', a basket shaped like Dora's head, and Dora alphabet flash cards.

I'm not entirely sure how the obsession started, but I can't deny that I'm largely to blame - after all, I'm the one that bought her that Dora sleeper and continue to tell people that Dora-anything would make a good gift.

I suppose the most annoying thing is that Dora (and her eight-year-old cousin Diego) are everywhere. Nick Jr. has really pulled together an unstoppable marketing machine. Today, we were at the drugstore and walked by some greeting cards. Audrey didn't hesitate to point out the Dora birthday card, which was conveniently at her eye-level. Dora stickers are available in her Minigo, as birthday balloons, clothing - whatever you can possibly think of. And I'll admit, I have bought products, specifically because they have Dora on them.

Damn them.

But it's not so bad. I must admit that I like Dora. A co-worker also pointed out to me that Dora made a great role model for girls. I have to agree. Since Audrey is half-Filipino, I like that Dora is the first Hispanic cartoon character, and a girl at that. I like that Audrey is presented with a lot of opportunities to learn shapes, colours and numbers, as well as challenge her memory and problem-solving skills. The fact that Dora also teaches Spanish is an added bonus - to our surprise, Audrey knows how to count to 10 in Spanish with some skill.

So I guess TV and Dora has a place in my daughter's life. And I can't deny - she has become a brilliant child. :)