generation DORA or why my children act this way

each generation is given a catchy little title that tells a little bit about who they are, like baby boomers or generation X. i have begun to notice a trend in my children and others around their age. i believe it may be the determining factors in their title. and, i believe they are all found in one common place--dora, as in the explorer. some of the things i see the next generation doing include:

yelling- why must dora speak so loudly? and why does she ask our children to speak louder each time she asks a question?

demanding- instead of asking for something, dora demands it. 

example: "say map. say it."

suggestion:  can you say map?  or:  may you say map, please?

impolite/rude-have you ever heard dora say please or thank you? i didn't think so. if you are going to be so demanding, can you at least say please. seriously, dora, help a momma out. 

while these first three are not exactly positive, i do believe that many will find the last one to be somewhat beneficial. it has even been discussed among politicians, but i am not sure this is exactly what they had in mind.

new language-dora teaches bits and pieces of basic spanish during each episode. but, what manifests in real life sounds more like spanglish. as many parents of preschoolers have noticed, our children just mesh the new language with the one they are trying so hard to learn already. so, i may hear something like this:

         "vamanos, mommy! vamanos!" when riding in the car
               or "mas rapido!" when wanting his snack quicker


while i can say that dora has taught my children a few spanish phrases, as you can see above, it is still not delivered with courtesy or civility. my children were so polite before they started watching tv. carter was so soft spoken, people complained they couldn't hear her. now, let's just say, things are different. and, it makes me wonder . . . . . .

is it worth my twenty minutes of kid occupied time??

modales, dora. por favor.
gracias.