Help, my son has an addiction!

Help, I think I am an enabler!!

I need Barney-a-non!! My son is addicted to Barney!!

It started out innocently enough, don't all addictions start out that way?

Trevor had never been one to be able to even sit and watch the TV for more than 30 seconds till he was close to 2 years old. And even then, he usually wouldn't watch more than 10 minutes at a time. We had The Einstein tapes, the signing Times tapes, and would try to see if he would watch Sesame Street every now and again among some other nice little stimulating baby and toddler tapes. Nope, he never seemed to like them. OK, so for most moms, this isn't a bad thing. I admit, I do put on a video or something for one of the kids if it means I might be able to make some phone calls (Dr appts., red ribbon or other PTA stuff) or if it means I can sort clothes and start a load of laundry. So while I try to not let my kids watch a ton of TV, I do find it very helpful at times (I've had 2 kids that are colicky till past 2 years old, and are needy and are hard to entertain - so yes, I do admit I'm a terrible mom and try to get them to watch TV)

Anyhow, eventually Trevor liked watching the Signing Times DVD and we were so happy. He was picking up more signs and he just loved the nice music that went with the DVD. So we would put it on every other day or so. So then I wondered maybe he might like to watch something else? So I look in my old videos and see Barney and decide to try him. He does like the Barney stuffed animal he has, so in I pop the tape. (Isn't he cute when he was less than 3 months old just staring at barney!)

Guess what, he started liking Barney. It was so nice to be able to go to the bathroom, put laundry in, enter Tupperware orders and all kinds of things instead of leaving for 20 seconds and find him trying to press the microwave buttons. He is very fast and smart and into everything, so some nice toddler friendly diversions were needed.

So slowly, ever so slowly, we would use the Barney tapes as this was one thing that he would sit for and be in rapt attention while watching. When we were doing homework with the other kids and Trevor would get crabby, in the barney tape went. When Trevor was really hungry, but I wasn't done making his dinner, in the barney tape would go. In the morning, when I had a hard time keeping him occupied while I showered, I started taking him downstairs and putting the Barney tape in (his brothers are not happy about this as they missed being able to play a tape or play on the WII game before mom came downstairs!)

So now, here I am, an enabler to my son's addiction to Barney. He is constantly whining "ayee, ayee - or sometimes he says "Arnee, arnee" (Barney, Barney) and whines and cries and sometimes is quite inconsolable till he next sees Barney.

Now Barney is pretty benign, and at least maybe he will learn some good lessons; but jeez I don't know how much more I can take of Barney! Ryan never went through a Barney phase, But Stephen loved Barney when he was a tot. I survived it then, I guess I will just have to survive it again and try to gradually lessen our Barney viewing. too bad the Fall season is here and winter isn't far behind as we will be spending more and more time inside! So, maybe I should take the Barney tape I bought back to the store and get something else for Trevor's stocking for Christmas!