Stardate 61409.07 - Loren Loves Dora

Loren really loves Dora the Explorer. It is the first TV show that she actually requests by name. She will bring the remotes (or "amotes" as she calls them), and will say, "Dora on? Dora on?" And now that we are working on "please" and "thank you" she says "Dora on, please?" They show Dora on Noggin, so we have a bunch recorded on the DVR that she watches over and over. We've also purchased 4 Dora DVDs. Loren has learned the words Map and Backpack and "Knock-knock Door" from the show, and also knows "Dora Spanish" - words like Abre (open). In fact, she uses Abre more than she says open when she wants things opened.

If you haven't seen Dora, she and her friend Boots (a monkey) always have to go somewhere to solve some problem. They use a map which almost always requires three steps to arrive at their destination. For example, "Bananas - Corn field - Little Blue Tree!" The formula is the same in every episode, and people who have watched this show realize how infectious it can be.

One day in the not too distant past, Cheryl and I were going out for dinner while Loren was home with a babysitter. I started to say, "Subway, East Village, Restaurant! We've made it past the subway, now we need the East Village! Do YOU see the East Village? Where is it?" This dialog is precisely what transpires on every Dora episode, but with new place names. I continued to repeat these "Doraisms" as Cheryl and I proceeded to the restaurant (not that I can ever be annoying).

Finally, Cheryl said, "I declare a Doratorium! No more Dora!"

There was a slight pause, and then we both started laughing out loud!

I know that was a long way to go for a joke, but it really made me laugh out loud at the time, and I still snicker when I start to use Doraisms and I think about having to have a "Doratorium" on my Dora humor.

NYC