Experienced Bad Mom

Not Just a Bad Mom, But an Experienced Bad Mom

Forget Dora, My Daughter Likes Swiper

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Today I’m pleased to welcome a guest post from Kerry Rivera, who blogs at Breadwinning Mama. Welcome, Kerry!

 

swiper

I can live with Dora, but Swiper is doing some damage in our house.

For those of you not familiar with the infamous Dora the Explorer show designed for our precocious preschoolers, Dora typically sets out on some journey to get to a desired location – school, the rain forest, a friend’s house – you get the picture. She uses her trusty “backpack” and “map,” and in 20 minutes she always succeeds with her plans, concluding with a dance and song celebrating, “We did it!”

Beyond the star of the show, Dora has a cast of characters, including the sneaky villain, Swiper the Fox. Basically he is a little kleptomaniac who always tries to steal away Dora’s goods. The items are ultimately returned, but he likes to add a little turmoil to the plot. In short, he’s trouble.

Generally there is a sweet little message embedded into the cartoon about teamwork and sharing and getting far in life because you know your ABC’s and numbers.

Good stuff, and hopefully some of it is sticking with my little two-year-old.

But she has also come to pick up on a not-so-nice trait from the show. She’s in love with Swiper!  Yup, she’s already drawn to the “bad boy.”

For example, last night, she hid the TV remote and then cackled, “You’ll never find the remote now, ha ha ha!”

She also likes swiping our iPhones, her older brothers’ toys, and food from the pantry.

The way she throws out these one-liners is kind of cute, but should I be disturbed that she elects to model the behavior of the villain?

I take full responsibility. With my first-born, we had strict rules about “No TV.”  But, my daughter is kid No. 3, so things have relaxed. She watches cartoons with her brothers, she’s seen Star Wars battles and she’s probably caught glimpses of my reality shows. Yup, Mother of the Year here!

Still, I thought Dora would be wholesome and safe. But I think my little girl has sass and smarts. She clearly picks up on things quickly, including the concept of stealing and hiding things.

Thanks Swiper, thanks a lot. Now, I’ve got to hunt down some missing items.

Do your kids like a cartoon character that surprises you?

Kerry juggles a full-time marketing job, husband, three young kids, an overly-energetic puppy, and a LONG commute on Southern California’s finest freeways. Squeezing in exercise is a must, and she loves to curl up with a good book. As she says, “Life is chaotic, but sweet.” You can find her blogging at Breadwinning Mama and tweeting as @breadwinningmom.

 

Comments

    • I know, right? Some of the cartoons really do try to impart healthy food messages, but my two-year-old refuses. She does love to “dancey-dance” though. 🙂
      Kerry recently posted…Why Writers WriteMy Profile

  3. Oh no, LOL, what a cutie! Not so fun when you can’t find your phone, but a really cute story! Brady went around saying, “Ohhh, mannnnn!” for like 2 years. He surprised me by adoring Curious George for a long, long time, such a sweet show (also with impish tendencies) with math and science. He also had a great period where he watched Jack’s Big Music Show and really enjoyed music. Now he loves Full House, which surprise me to no end. He’s 7 and loves a show I watched 20+ years ago.
    Stephanie @ From the Burbs to the Boonies recently posted…Life is full with a child in itMy Profile

  4. My almost 4 y/o likes Dora too, but we haven’t watched it in a while. Our favorite cartoon character is the Gruffalo, from the book by the same name by Julia Donaldson. There’s also a short feature film, and it’s awesome. One of the only things I’ll let my girls watch guilt-free. Great story and beautiful animation!
    Nicole @ Work in Sweats Mama recently posted…My Optic Nerve Love FestMy Profile

  6. We’ve had that in our house too. We just told the kids, “You know it’s okay to play like that once in a while, but in real life, stealing other people’s stuff is wrong and hurts their feelings.” It’s always gotten the point across. .
    And your daughter being drawn to the ‘bad boy’? Hilarious!
    Melisa recently posted…Missy Homemaker: One Month Blogging Recap Part 1My Profile

  8. Ha! We don’t get cable, so we don’t get Dora. We now have 5 and when I had one kid, we didn’t even have a TV, so I totally get the more TV dilemma. My younger kids definitely watch more TV–but a lot of the time a DVD or video that we have.
    Tammy Doiel recently posted…Tasty Tuesdays: Meat Loaf PattiesMy Profile

  9. My daughter does the same thing! We haven’t watched Dora in weeks since Netflix stopped showing it, and still it’s, “You’ll never find your phone now. Ha, ha, HA!!” Luckily she will give it back when we say, “Swiper, no swiping!” We’ll see how long that works. 🙂
    Amber @ Myth Busting Mommy recently posted…The Truth About Middle ChildrenMy Profile

  10. We like Diego at our house, but we’re not big fans of Dora. As my friend put it, “Clearly, Dora’s parents have not taught her to use her ‘inside voice’.”

    My 6yo son loves science so we let him watch Mythbusters sometimes. We’d skip the gun myths, but I don’t know what we were thinking letting him watch one of the driving while almost drunk episodes.
    Frankie Lawson recently posted…I Confess: I Cut MyselfMy Profile

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