I would love to say that my entire day is spent creating meaningful learning experiences for my kids, but I can't. Don't get me wrong, we do things together, but sometimes -- okay, more than sometimes -- the television is my best friend. When Halle was little, she loved Dora, and I'm proud to say that Dora taught her shapes and colors (and even a few Spanish words), by the time she turned two.
Chase, however, has become hooked to another show. He loves Curious George. Like, he really loves it. We currently have 53 episodes saved on our DVR. And, frankly, I love that he loves it, because it gives me a half hour of peace every once in a while. Since Chase is incredibly exhausting, the small moments of peace is the only thing keeping me sane! The only problem is, George is a monkey, and he doesn't talk (only monkey talk). So, Chase has adopted monkey talk as his #1 language. He "oo oos" and "ah ahs" all the time, but we can't get him to talk. He knows a few words, but mostly he just speaks and acts like a monkey. We've tried to show him other cartoons, like Dora, but he hates them. He throws a fit until we turn on Curious George. So, we do.
My son is 19 months old, and he thinks he's a monkey. And, for now, that's all right with me.