Wednesday, April 25, 2007

How addiction altered my daughter's personality

All day today, TLM's mantra was "Boohbah".

This surreal preschooler's show fascinated me when it screened every morning at 6am, with it's blobby dancing creatures who apparently fly on the power of their own farts. The DVDs have been available at the library for ages, but until last week I'd been trying desperately (and unsuccessfully - the boy and I are both TV addicts, so it's genetic) to avoid increasing the amount of TV/DVD time TLM gets.

I think I may have made a serious mistake in renting the Boohbah DVD though, because TLM has become addicted to it. When it's on, she alternates between trying to copy their dance moves, and staring at it like a hedgehog caught in the sudden glare of headlights. And if TLM demands Boohbah and I don't provide it, she goes off her food, throws her sippy cup overboard and loses all interest in her Megablocks.

It's possible that The Wiggles are, temporarily at least, no longer the kings of TLM's Top Ten.

8 comments:

Angela said...

The Boohbah creatures are very strange things

Violet said...

yes they certainly are. Barney the dinosaur is pretty damned normal in comparison eh?

Determinist said...

I don't know if you want to hear this, but I have nieces back in Canada who never watch TV. Their attention spans are amazing. MUCH better than their cousins who have been raised on TV.

This is hardly scientific, but it's enough to convince me that TV, which pretty bad anyway, doesn't do anything for the growing mind.

Violet said...

determinist: I kind of already know, but it just makes life so much easier (in the short term, at least) if the telly's on occasionally. I do find limiting to half and hour each morning and evening harder and harder to stick to though.

Rainypete said...

Those things just freak me right out! I used to think the Teletubbies were creepy, but those Boohbahs are just far too much for me.

Violet said...

rainypete: you've got to admire the creator's imagination though, eh?

KC said...

Hooboy. My little man gets aggravated at times if he doesn't get to see some Baby Einstein videos. Glad to know it's not just me who experiences this stuff.

Violet said...

kc: nope, it's not just you. I suppose the upside to having an obssession is that you become easy to buy birthday presents for :-)