Release the control!

You will probably learn very quickly that I'm not a very serious guy and I won't write about many "deep" subjects. Tonight I will dive into a subject that is near and dear to many Dad's hearts. Before we had Caden, I was always in control. I made the decisions, I press the buttons, and very rarely did I allow Julie to control our lives. Now, I know what you are thinking, what a control freak! Actually, that is very accurate. I was a control freak, a remote control freak.

Before kids, I regularly watched nearly any sports games I wanted to, caught every Office episode as it was being aired, and could easily sneak in a show on the Food Network just for fun. Then came Caden. I'm no longer the king of the remote control. Instead of SportsCenter in the morning, we are watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Instead of The Office on Thursday nights, we are watching "The Wonder Pets" just before it's time to read books. As for watching live TV shows, don't count on it. If we want to watch something not on Nick Jr. or Disney, we need to DVR it and watch it after bed time.

For the most part, the TV is off most of the time at our house when Caden is home and awake. Yet, when it's on and he is active, it's not on a channel that Julie or myself would prefer to watch. I will say though that I have become quite fond of many of his shows due to either watching them with him or having them on DVD for various rides in the SUV. Here are my top five shows (note: Caden is two years old).

1. The Wonder Pets - Ming Ming Duck pulls some great one liners out of her hat. Many of them make me laugh while Caden doesn't quite get the joke.

2. Olivia - Something about a show with talking pigs is pretty cool, right?

3. Phineas and Ferb - Ok, this show hasn't quite caught Caden's attention but I love watching it! Plus, it's a got a sweet theme song.... "There's a 104 days of summer vacation..."

4. Jake and the Never Land Pirates - Brand new show on Disney that has the old school looking Captain Hook from the original Disney Peter Pan. Different voice though.

5. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - This isn't the Mickey Mouse from my days but it's still entertaining. You will learn who "Toodles" is and the words to "The Hot Dog Song".

Oh, one show that I hate: Yo Gabba Gabba. Incredible creepy. Enjoy your new favorite channel lineup. You are not the only one watching.