Dinosaur Train

This...I have to share.  If you know me well, you know that I am not a fan of children watching television. Growing up I remember watching only a few shows - during the day, it was Days of Our Lives. Ok, we didn't watch it... mom watched it. She had the TV on, which was downstairs, where my brother and I played while she cooked in the kitchen which was at the top of the stairs - she could see and hear the TV while in the kitchen. I know my mother is asking why I am writing this... we knew it was lunchtime when Days of Our Lives was over...that's why I remember the show being on.

The only other two shows I remember watching was on Saturday night, after our bath and as mom brushed our hair...The Love Boat and then on occasion, if we were good, Fantasy Island.  As we got older, our TV watching increased only a little bit to include after school shows like The Brady Bunch, Scooby Doo and on the weekends, School House Rock.  Ok, so if didn't know what year I was born, I bet you have a pretty good idea now! :)

Anyway, growing up as one of four kids (two older sisters and a younger brother) we grew up playing outside, playing grocery store in our basement storage room, we played school, we didn't have a lot of money and this was the 70's and 80's, so there weren't electronics, etc... so we really made do with whatever we could find, and we used our imaginations.  Fun times... who knew a piece of chalk could provide hours of fun.

Will grew up the same way - creating his own fun...let me tell you his favorite movie and I won't have to say anything else.  The Sandlot.

So as a mother, and father, we are trying to raise our kids, kicking it old school as much as possible.  Keeping batteries at a minimum, and encouraging creative, imaginative play.  I was excited to see this come about when one day, E was riding his bike and said he needed to lock his bike with his key and then he went around to all the doors to lock them with his key. His key... is this:

This was an added decoration to a pillar candle...he dug it out of the trash and now it is his key.

So the point to this post...yes, I have one... :) We haven't watched TV with Ethan until I accidentally came across PBS Kids one day as I was going to the Christian Music Channel while he was at school.  I stopped and watched the beginning for who knows why...but watch and see what I saw.



Yeah. So now, we have recorded every episode so far and watch them... with Ethan.  There are some episodes that talk about Buddy being adopted - like the one where Buddy finds out he's a T Rex... the family goes and visits where the T Rex comes from, they see and meet a momma and her daughter T Rex and after Buddy discovers who he is, the girl T Rex asks Buddy if he wants to stay and live there since he found out where he came from.  Buddy says, no, I have a family, and I want to go home with them and live in the nest.  Buddy's mom spends time talking to the momma T Rex, saying she has a lot of questions for her and wants to learn as much as she can.

I tell you what, I have never cried during a cartoon...until the other day when I saw this. What a great way to introduce adoption in an age appropriate way.  PBS, I like you.