Kiki Discovers the Wiggles

Once upon a time, when I was a know-it-all nonparent, I once scolded my cousin for letting his toddlers sit around and watch tv all day. "You shouldn't use the tv as a babysitter!" I told him.

He responded, "My parents let me watch tv all the time when I was a kid, and I turned out just fine."

There's no way to argue gracefully with a statement like that.

Now as a parent who has a child who finally shows interest in the tv, I have to admit it's nice to be able to get away once in a while and know she's entertained in my absence. I mean I don't go for a walk or anything. I'm like no more than 8 steps away from her at any given time, but still. I can work. I can clean the kitchen. I can make meals. That kind of thing.

I'm used to having the tv on all the time; it's more like background noise for me. But I confess a probably unhealthy obsession with children's programming. It enthralls me. And some of the shows enthrall Kiki as well. Like LazyTown. And Maggie and the Ferocious Beast. And the Backyardigans.

Up til now we've watched almost exclusively Noggin. I've heard tales of children who'll watch the same Barney tape/DVD over and over and over and over and still want to see it over and over and over. I figured Kiki would be one of those, but Noggin has recently lost its thrall over her as the same episodes repeat themselves (though she still loves Moose A. Moose and will drop everything to hear him sing or play a puzzle game.)

So I switched it over to Disney this morning and discovered the Wiggles. I've heard of the Wiggles before, but this was my first exposure to them. And they enthralled us both. Anything with music and dancing grabs Kiki. She sat still for a straight 10 minutes until there was some little interlude with a dog practicing his swimming strokes, and then she busied herself with handing me her blocks until the singing and dancing started again.

I'm definitely getting her into a dance class when she finally starts walking! Umm, that should make up for turning her into a couch potato, right?