Okay, so it is kind of annoying to see Dora’s face everywhere. But behind the cereal, pajamas, sunglasses, t-shirts, and lawn sprinklers is a very cool little girl. Blogger Melissa DeFord explains.

I was the perfect mother. Right up until the day I actually became a mother. I had so many ideas, dreams and fantasies of how it would be. Sitting quietly and coloring with my little girl to the sound of classical music in the background, eating perfectly balanced meals made from scratch, never watching TV. Alas, I live in the real word. And while I do generally feed my children healthy foods, and we do spend a considerable amount of time coloring, we also watch TV.

I admit it: I’ve used the TV to baby-sit my child. And before you judge me, let me just say that on occasion, I need to tend to my younger daughter, cook a meal, pay bills or just have a moment to myself. And during those times, I’ve often found that what works best for our family is for my oldest to sit on the couch in the den with a little snack and a television program.

My husband and I periodically have a meeting of the minds to discuss where our little Sweet Pea is with regards to the programs that we have on our TiVo To Do List. She was into “Barney” forever, although he’s currently on the outs. And I added “Sesame Street” to the To Do List because I remember it so fondly from my own childhood. But she hasn’t taken to the show, so we removed it. And then… she discovered “Dora the Explorer.”

Let me preface this by saying that Dora and I have a complicated relationship. On the one hand, I find her to be slightly annoying. All the questions. All the pregnant pauses while she awaits an answer. The snappy little songs that get stuck in my head for days. But the worst part, for me, is the marketing. Dora’s face is plastered on everything from toys to clothing to food, and it all calls out to my daughter, beckons to her. She wants a Dora lunchbox. A pair of Dora pajamas. Her fifth Dora book. And I am helpless to say no, because on the other hand, my almost three-year old is now speaking Spanish. Sure, she’s not fluent or anything like that, but when she wants help? She calls out “ayuda me!” Charming, right? And Spanish speaking aside, Dora is a kind little girl, with an adventurous spirit who would give you the backpack off her back. Always. And those qualities? They are the same qualities that I work so hard to instill in my own daughters: polite and generous little girls who are open to new experiences.

And so, I allow my little girl to run around with her own Dora backpack slung over her shoulders, and I read her the Dora books and I buy her Dora crayons and stickers. And not just because she prefaces her request with a “por favor,” but also because in the end, it turns out Dora is a pretty neat little girl.

Melissa DeFord is a stay-at-home mom to two girls under the age of three. They love to go to the park, bake cookies, paint, read and yes…watch TV. You can check out her blog at melissathemouth.com.

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