Dora Mermaid Party

Julia has been talking for days about how next time it's a weekend, she wants Daddy to watch Dora: Mermaid with her (one of the Dora episodes we have On Demand.) I told her that they could definitely do that this weekend. Somehow her idea of a Daddy/Julia viewing of Dora: Mermaid turned more extravagant, though, and all of a sudden she was fantasizing about all the people who could come and watch with her. "Mama, I want to invite all my camp friends and all my school friends over to watch Dora: Mermaid." I gave her the sort of vague, placating responses parents tend to give to these fantasies: "Oh, you do, huh? Well, that's nice of you to invite everyone over." She then extended her list of invitees even further: "AND I want my camp counselors and my swim teachers to come too." When she talked to Yia-yia on the phone later in the day, she invited Yia-yia along as well, telling her to send some of the kids we know in CT our way too. I smiled to myself, thinking how cute it was that she loved imagining a big party of kids all watching this Dora episode together.

Well, turns out it wasn't just a fantastical imagining. I should have known better. On Saturday, Julia asked me if I could send an email to all her camp friends and all her school friends and invite them over. I told her I don't know the emails of all these people, and she declared brightly, "I know their email! I know how to do it! Mama, can I sit at your computer and send them my email?" Again, still thinking she was just playing, I let her sit at my computer, opened a new email to no one, and let her type "julia" as a message, then commended her on her great job sending an email. I then put the thought of Dora: Mermaid away until later that morning, during Madeleine's nap, which is the time of day Julia typically watches a show. "Julia, do you want to watch Dora: Mermaid with Daddy now that Madeleine's at nap?" I asked her. She reflected on this for a second, then said, "Mmm, no, I want to wait until all my friends get here to watch it."

Yikes. So it suddenly hit me - she really, actually thought she was having her friends over to watch this thing. She really believed that all there is to sending an email is to type your name and it will magically go to all the people you are thinking of in your head, and furthermore, that they will be able to translate "julia" to mean "I want you to come over today at X-time and watch Dora: Mermaid with me." I felt horrible that I'd let this thought get so far along in the process that she really thought she was having a big Dora-watching party. Ethan and I tried to gently explain to her that a) Labor Day weekend is a VERY busy weekend for traveling, and chances were a lot of her friends weren't even in Needham this weekend, and b) It takes more than day-of notice to organize a gathering, so it wasn't something we could just send an email about in the morning and expect a turn-out that same day. Thankfully, while she seemed a little disappointed, she wasn't TOO broken-hearted, because she still got to watch it with Daddy, which was a special treat. And to give props to Ethan, he shouted out all of the answers and Spanish words Dora patiently waits for the viewers to say, and perhaps the best part of all was the impromptu family dance party we had at the end along to the "We did it!" song. Actually, one family member did not participate in the dance party. Madeleine sat there staring at us with rapt attention while we danced. Not with a smile on her face. With a look of wonderment, as if she was trying to figure out what on EARTH we were all doing. Give it a few years, though, and I bet you she'll be joining in too...