A Calming Chaos: DJ Lance is my Homeboy

As a parent, you prematurely swear things off for your house. You assume that because you don't like something, that they automatically will never like it, or ask for it. Of course, the more your kid is in someone else's care, the less control you have over what they are exposed to.

"So, Emily," you ask, "What did you swear off?"

And I would very easily reply with: "Nick JR."

It's hard to describe, but I always looked at Nick JR as way too colorful, and bright. They dumb kids down, I almost felt like the brain cells are disolving with every moment that their little beady eyes were fixated on it. It was probably more the fact that I didn't want to watch it personally. I still feel that way. But....

One day, a few weeks ago, Alyssa asked for it. Not a certain show, or character, but she actually said, "Mommy, I want to watch Nick JR."

I felt faint, and began vomiting uncontrollably*. I was weak in my knees, the walls were closing in on me. What do I do? How could MY daughter want that channel? All of the corniness. The blinding colors. The weird looking costumes. My life as I knew it, was over.

But at that moment, the earth shattered. The moon turned blue. Pigs were flying, and hell was freezing over. But I grabbed the remote, and pushed 3 little numbers that I never imagined I would push. 1...2...5 - Nick JR. And I was greeted with this:

I swore I would only let it go one day. But I have to say, sometimes I don't always know what's best. She asked for it, and I would encourage her to go play, or watch Barney, or do something, anything but this. But, none-the-less... this is my life now. I had to accept it.

It just so happened that the show she wanted to watch the most, was one that I was dreading the most. Yo Gabba Gabba. *Shiver* These creepy alien looking things, and this guy in a furry orange hat. It turned into a major epidemic. Yo Gabba Gabba has to be on, even if it's not being watched. It goes on, she watches for a minute, then plays with something, and even leaves the room, but if I turn it off, boy am I in for it. Then one day, I sat down and really watched it, from beginning to end. And then, something happened....

I fell in love.

No, not in love with the show, and not even with DJ Lance, but with the fact that Yo Gabba Gabba puts me in one of the most relaxed states humanly possible. The music in it is so relaxing. The cartoon shorts in it keep me drawn to it. It's mesmerizing. They have guest stars, like Jack Black, who is so funny in it. What is it about this show? Could it be...?

This is a cartoon short within the episode Games. Chris and I were talking about the writers of Yo Gabba Gabba, and have decided that they must all be pot heads. We talked about how amazing it would be to work on the show (no, not so we can smoke pot), and how much fun they must have.

I wonder if they sell a DVD just of these shorts. It would be the perfect Saturday afternoon nap.

So, I still don't like her watching Nick Jr. If it's so hypnotic for me, I can only imagine how it is for a growing brain. I don't want her getting in the habit of watching TV. She is naturally so active, and imaginative, and I don't want her to lose that. But I guess if she wants to watch Yo Gabba Gabba sometimes, I would be ok with that.