Toddler 'Toons

When my daughter first started watching TV, I looked for series I was familiar with. Therefore, one of her early favorites was "Blues Clues," which I was able to find on our Roku via Netflix. The show had been a favorite of my nephews when they were young, and I had watched it with them a few times.

After awhile, I grew tired of watching/hearing the same episodes over and over, so I sought out other shows. I had never watched "Dora, the Explorer," but I knew it was popular, so I added it to my daughter's watch list. From the start, she was a fan, but I was not. I thought the voice of the map very grating, and I expected "exploring" in the more Lewis-and-Clark sense of the word, with Dora and friends learning about bugs, plants, landscapes and cultures along the way. Instead, they are merely traveling from one place to another in what, to me, felt like one, long, drawn-out journey.

At the end of the episode, Dora asked, "What was your favorite part of the trip?" I shouted, "When it was over!"

Not too long afterward, I looked for yet more shows for my daughter. She's tried quite a few. Her favorites include "Dinosaur Train," "Bubble Guppies," "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" and "My Little Pony." She also has a handful that she wants to watch about once every couple of months, like "Curious George" and "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood." Some I like, and some I tolerate.

After seeing other shows, I mind "Dora" less. Perhaps I expected too much from a toddler show. However, if I am within ear-shot when Dora asks, "What was your favorite part of the trip?" at the end of each episode, I'll still yell, "When it was over!" Or at least I did until yesterday, when my daughter did it for me.

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