EXPLORING MY INNER DORA

We've been in Pittsburg the past two days visiting family, and we woke up this morning to find great niece Maddie and great neph Boomer at Big Sis's house watching "Dora the Explorer" on TV since they didn't have to go to school. "Aunt Nancy, come watch!"

Well, of course, I'm not going to put the snub on them and Dora, so I plopped down on the sofa and proceded to watch Dora and her sidekick monkey Boots save some princess from tower imprisonment, which was arranged by a mean ol' witch who looked somewhat like a younger me flying around on a broom.

Maddie and Boomer made sure I didn't miss a single second of this high drama. "Watch the Snow Fairy! Watch what Benny the Bull does! Watch the Pig Pirates!" It was obvious to me that they'd seen this episode more than once and had instant total recall.

"How many times have you seen this?" I asked.

Ten times," Maddie answered matter-of-factly. "This is my 11th time. Watch the penguins!"

I kept waiting for a commercial since I have a short attention span, and I wanted to grab a cup of tea, but this show went on and on.

"Watch the snowmen, Aunt Nancy!" Boomer boomed.

Well, eventually Dora and Boots saved the day. "Hooray!" But here's what I have to say about this morning's experience: You young parents out in blogland have my utmost respect for enduring day after day after day after day after day after day of Dora and Boots and Benny and the rest of the gang bombarding your living room. How do you handle the sensory overload? Don't you ever miss waking up to peace and quiet? When the show finally ended, I was exhausted and ready to go back to bed.

Next time I travel to Pittsburg and have breakfast with the wee ones, I'm getting even with them. We're tuning in to the Weather Channel and The Today Show, my usual routine. "Watch the barometric pressure rise!" I'll order them. "Watch Matt Lauer adjust his microphone!" I think Maddie and Boomer will think this is such a peachy keen idea that they'll imprison me in a tower and hand down a sentence of watching Dora Marathons on Nickelodeon for the rest of my natural life. Paybacks are always a bitch. Where is Boots when I need him?