Fayette-Mom: Mocking Dora

Something happened during spring break that rocked me to my mommy core.

And no, it was not the constant demand of “What are we doing today?” or the familiar wail of “I’m boooored.” Unfortunately, I’m quite used to those irritating words coming from my little cherubs. (Which reminds me….ask me just how much I am looking forward to this summer!).

No, it was one morning when I was trying to squeeze in some work before departing for that day’s Totally!Fun!Adventure! The television was on, and I couldn’t help but be distracted from the computer by what my kids were doing while an episode of Dora the Explorer played.

They were mocking Dora.

As in …. you know how Dora asks the viewer a question, pausing so that toddlers all across America can shout out the answer from their living rooms? Example: DORA: How many oranges are in the bowl? (LONG, LONG PAUSE). DORA: Did you say three oranges? (PAUSE). You did? You’re right!

Well, my precious little ones were one-upping each other with the most outrageous answer they could come up with. Example: EMMA: One thousand million oranges! (LAUGHTER). ELI: Twenty thirty thousand oranges! (LOTS OF LAUGHTER). EMMA: Zero Oranges! Those are bananas, silly!! (GALES OF LAUGHTER).

Has it really come to this? I mean, goodness knows, I have been prone to mocking children’s program from time-to-time. Watching Barney on a non-stop loop for four years does strange things to a grown-up. But my kids …. they are still kids. Sure, they’re well past the toddler programming stage, but mockery??? Are we already cynical????

I had to remind them that it wasn’t that long ago they, too, were glued to anything Dora and Diego had to say, and I spent many a morning dancing around our own living room, ecstatic that my obviously-brilliant child not only knew how to identify an orange, but could count them as well! It’s a part of growing up, I told them.

They looked at me with blank faces. Then they busted out laughing, refusing to believe that they ever partook in anything so baby-ish. Sigh.

Let this be a warning to you moms of toddlers: Get video evidence now. It will become of great value in the not-so-distant future.

Me? I just recorded my kids watching the series finale of “Suite Life on Deck." Because years from now, there’s no way they’ll believe they ever thought that show was cool.