Hurricane Hadley has been downgraded to a Tropical Storm. Previously fearless, she has become obsessively afraid of noise. Specifically loud noise. Like the lawn mower. We’ll be at the playground and if one comes within two miles, we have to pack up and go home.
Another unfounded fear has been on her favorite new program, Dora the Explorer. No, she’s not afraid of the scary troll, Swiper the Fox or even Dora’s freaky sidekick monkey, Boots. But it’s the map. Yes, the Hurricane is afraid of an inanimate object. For those not familiar with the show, The Map plays an integral role for Dora aka Explorer Extraordinaire. And this isn’t just any map, but a magical, interactive map that shows Dora where she needs to go on all her adventures.
I would be stumped over her angst but in the deep recesses of my mind, I understand. Y’see, I, too am afraid of maps. No, I don’t run and scream at the sight of them but my reaction is more along the lines of wailing and gnashing of teeth. Especially when Hunky Hubby is ripping on me for my inability to read them. But if I had a magical one? Bring it on! The Hurricane doesn’t know how good she has it.
Besides her fear of The Map, Haddie adores everything about Dora. Y’see, the kid loved Teletubbies. You know, those annoying, baby-talking good-for-nothing creatures. We had a funeral for them last week when I told her they went bye-bye forever, just like binky. My mother-in-law almost blew it the other day when she attempted to resurrect them without knowledge of their demise. But I am pleased to say they still rest in peace.
Another part of Dora’s explorations involve solving riddles along the way. The first time we watched it, I thought “Oh, how cute!” as I easily solved the first riddle, “What swings in trees, eats bananas and goes hoo hoo hoo.” “MONKEY!” I triumphantly shouted as an alarmed Jamie and Haddie looked on. But then it got ugly.
Y’see, Jamie and I are just a little bit competitive. OK, a lot competitive. And those riddles get tougher and tougher, believe you me. But then came the granddaddy of riddles: who can jump higher than the tall mountain? Dora jumped. Not even close to surmounting it. Then, Boots. Next came all their friends. Nothing. We were stumped.
But then that brilliant, deducing Dora: “How high can the tall mountain jump?” Errr…it can’t, which therefore means they could all jump higher than the tall mountain. It was then that the truth was revealed: a toddler’s show had kicked our butts.
Maybe it’s time to go back to Teletubbies….
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 