Are You Ready to Explore?

Two weeks ago we discussed the potentially harmful effects of excessive television watching and used a particularly popular children’s show, Dora the Explorer, to emphasize the point that it’s OK when I do it. As mentioned, I allow my daughter to watch this program in small increments because the show is educational, it is engaging, and the only thing in the world that could get her to move while watching it is a pack of cookie-flavored puppies.

Criticism of the show abounds, however, and in an effort to be fair, today we will examine some of the more reasonable questions brought up by detractors. For example,

Is Dora the Explorer a witch?

Dora is seven-years old, yet seems to have access to a number of powers that the average seven-year-old does not. For example, she has “Explorer Stars” in her talking backpack that give her special powers: the ability to fly, to super-jump, to generate a spin off cartoon about her cousin. Dora talks to animals. She has a map that not only sings but also adjusts to the episode’s unique predicament; “Does Dora need to get to grandma’s house or go rescue one of her clumsy friends?” Dora herself, I think, eventually turns into a mermaid or something.

While elements of the supernatural certainly do abound in the show, personally I am not concerned that my daughter will grow up believing she can communicate with inanimate objects or magically make friends with everyone she meets. Some of the same people who scoff at children’s shows containing magic have no problem telling their own children that an obese bearded man in a red suit is going to fly onto their roof, climb down their chimney in the middle of winter, and give them toys they don’t deserve as a reward for being “good” all year. And we wonder why children don’t take us seriously.

Secondly, is Dora a Terrorist-Sympathizing Pacifist?

Her main nemesis on the program is Swiper the Fox, a real gem of a foil that makes Wile E. Coyote look like an evil genius. Though sometimes absent entirely, Swiper’s main goal, when he does show up, is to “swipe” something with very little monetary value. Instead of avoiding this idiot or perhaps trapping him to sell his pelt, Dora tackles the problem by putting up her hand like a traffic cop and declares, “Swiper, NO Swiping!” She says this three times and then Swiper, who is, I must reiterate, a damn fox and thus should be able to easily steal anything from anyone on the show, merely laments, “Oh, MAN!” and walks away in defeat.

It’s pathetic.

Some critics believe these laughable encounters give children an unrealistic view of the nature of evil. Some point out that the show might even be suggesting that there are no moral absolutes. Swiper, it turns out, is often merely misunderstood and has even allied himself with Dora on some occasions by episode’s end. How can we as a society, critics argue, continue to fight terrorists if we’re raising a generation of children who believe the bad guys can be disposed of by simply raising their hands and shouting, “Al Queada, NO bombing!”

Continuing, some critics ask, is Dora a Communist?

Children who watch this show, after all, are taught to share and work together to solve problems. Needless to say, critics lament, this will not do. If we share our cookies with our friends, how will they ever learn the value of la galleta? What incentive will children have to go out and get their own cookies from their own grandmothers? Before long, we’d have all sorts of “comrades” wanting cookies for free. Bad idea. And if we work together to solve our problems, how will we know who’s the best problem solver and thus deserves to live in a gated community? No thanks, commie.

Finally, is Dora a little Latina Propogandista? “I don’t want my pre-schooler learning Spanish before they can even speak English” critics declare. “What if they get to kindergarten and accidentally ask to go to el bano and the teacher gets confused and they end up peeing all over el suelo ?” That would be a travesty, certainly, but a highly unlikely one.

The fact is, most children in industrialized countries are taught at least two languages, and while teaching a toddler a second language could plausibly result in some minor vocabulary confusion in the short term, it would not turn them into babbling idiots. Learning to play piano, for example, would not keep someone from also being able to play a horn well, or a percussion instrument, or a violin. These skills would build on one another and lead to greater success in all of them. The same is true for learning more than one language.

Criticism besides, when it comes to Dora the Explorer, as it comes to everything in life, moderation is the key. A preschooler can learn a lot from Dora—how to stand up to bullies, how to get from the Butterfly Garden to the Shy Rainbow, the Spanish word for redundant—but none of this will hold a candle to what they pick up from their parents, for good or bad.

I think what I appreciate the most about Dora is how she spends her day. She explores. She’s got her map, her backpack, her buddy, and she’s off. She’s out the door, facing life’s challenges, rediscovering everyday something we adults often forget: the world can be a pretty cool place.

And speaking of cool places, we went to Kansas City recently and spent some time at a water park. Many of the attractions were too big for little girls, but the kiddie pool more than sufficed. For awhile. Eventually I decided to take her to the lazy river, and at first she wasn’t too keen on the idea and wanted out. But then I reminded her we were exploring; we were looking for Mommy, just like her hero would do. Her eyes got big and she smiled. She settled into her own little toddler adventure and enjoyed the ride.

Perhaps she does watch too much TV.