What to do about Barney (and other annoying toys!)

[InquestofaWoman]

My nephew’s birth filled me with great anticipation. I imagined taking him for walks, bumping him on my knee, and making him laugh with funny faces–all the wonderful experiences an aunt can share.

What I did NOT expect was Barney, that horrid, warbling stuffed dinosaur with the creepy grin!! Not only does my darling nephew have the toy, which he hugged and dragged about the moment he learned to crawl, but, as he grew a bit older, he came to love the show! To deny him would inevitably lead to loud, intolerable howls!

No matter my repeated resolve not to give in, I always found myself, partly deafened and miserable, turning on the TV. There would appear Barney–baying, dancing, clapping his big floppy paws, and caterwauling those dreadful songs!! And the child, in turn, would laugh and attempt to join in. It is all one can do to keep from fleeing the room!

At least now I understand how my Dad felt, when, as a child, I had a beautiful LOUD bell I loved to ring in the house. One day (according to Mum; I did not see), desperation overtook him. He sneaked into my room, spirited the bell away, grabbed a hammer and banged it into oblivion. Even now, many years later, the playful mention of that bell still makes him shudder.

So, here’s the question: What is (or was) the toy your child loved, but you absolutely hated? Perhaps you loathe Barney as well, or it is another spooky stuffed animal, or a game with an irritating noise. Quite often, I have dreamed of grabbing my nephew’s toy and pitching it outside into oncoming traffic; but, of course, that would be very wicked (however satisfying!). For the moment, I have settled for earplugs.

How do you handle your object of misery?

 

[Anglewannabe]

I would pray for patience. Children are human beings just like adults. We can not think of all the things we want out of the relationship (like the ones mentioned in your post) and forget about all the things they need and in your nephew’s case it is Barney.

When I was a kid I dreaded 6’oclock because my dad would watch the news. But I also knew that Saturday morning he did not go near the TV because that was cartoon time.

It is the same with your nephew, a bit of give and take. I am sure there are times you are doing something he does not like and he has learnt to do something else while you do your adult activity.

If I was your dad, I would have made the bell an outside toy. But to destroy it while you were not looking was not nice

Angie

 

[InquestofaWoman]

Well, all in good fun, Angelwannabe. I was never mad at Dad. Even to hear him speak of it now makes me laugh. Really, I drove him mad with that thing, and I did so on purpose just to see him grimace. I deserved to lose that bell!

As to Barney, well, lots of people find both toy and show annoying; but really, my post is also one of humour. Just making light of the situation, so-to-speak, and hoping for some funny stories from others. I am not at all angry; hope I didn’t come across that way.

I appreciate your thoughts!

 

[Anglewannabe]

Well, all in good fun, Angelwannabe. I was never mad at Dad. Even to hear him speak of it now makes me laugh. Really, I drove him mad with that thing, and I did so on purpose just to see him grimace. I deserved to lose that bell!

As to Barney, well, lots of people find both toy and show annoying; but really, my post is also one of humour. Just making light of the situation, so-to-speak, and hoping for some funny stories from others. I am not at all angry; hope I didn’t come across that way.

I appreciate your thoughts!

oops I obviously misread your tone and I apologizes. I guess it did strike a nerve because I still enjoy shows like Barney in my forties

 

[InquestofaWoman]

That’s OK. Sorry about striking a nerve, Angel. No intent there! If I find others also mistaking my tone, I will see what I can do about editing.

So that’s it, eh? You enjoy Barney! Seems I chose the wrong toy to pick on where you’re concerned. Hehe! Well, you and my Mum would get on great. She is the one who bought the Barney toy to begin with; and she has threatened to keep him after the child grows out of it and bequeath him to me! She loves Barney, too!

 

[Anglewannabe]

That’s OK. Sorry about striking a nerve, Angel. No intent there! If I find others also mistaking my tone, I will see what I can do about editing.

So that’s it, eh? You enjoy Barney! Seems I chose the wrong toy to pick on where you’re concerned. Hehe! Well, you and my Mum would get on great. She is the one who bought the Barney toy to begin with; and she has threatened to keep him after the child grows out of it and bequeath him to me! She loves Barney, too!

If I get an invite to your next birthday party, I will be bringing Barney napkins and plates and party hats.

I don’t really go out of my way to watch him. But if I am in a house and the kids start to watch him, all of a sudden I am glued to the TV

 

[InquestofaWoman]

If I get an invite to your next birthday party, I will be bringing Barney napkins and plates and party hats.

I don’t really go out of my way to watch him. But if I am in a house and the kids start to watch him, all of a sudden I am glued to the TV

Ahhhhhhhhhh!!! Barney napkins and plates! Now these I haven’t seen but I am sure they exist!!! What a traumatizing thought!!! That grin staring up at me whilst I try to eat my food!!!

I admit, I still like the Berenstain Bears, and, since I am part of Generation X, I absolutely love Retro Cartoons like Tom & Jerry, RoadRunner and so on. I will watch older reruns of Sesame Street, too; not so sure about the modern version…seems a bit dodgy at times.

So, can’t blame you if Barney’s your thing, Angel. I dare say, I literally run to the television if one of my favourite cartoons comes on.

I think for my brother, it was the recorder that drove my parents bonkers. He loved playing it…and he was terrible; but, of course, my parents did not tell him so. They just…kind of…disappeared at intervals whenever he commenced to play

 

[robwar]

My nephew’s birth filled me with great anticipation. I imagined taking him for walks, bumping him on my knee, and making him laugh with funny faces–all the wonderful experiences an aunt can share.

What I did NOT expect was Barney, that horrid, warbling stuffed dinosaur with the creepy grin!! Not only does my darling nephew have the toy, which he hugged and dragged about the moment he learned to crawl, but, as he grew a bit older, he came to love the show! To deny him would inevitably lead to loud, intolerable howls!

No matter my repeated resolve not to give in, I always found myself, partly deafened and miserable, turning on the TV. There would appear Barney–baying, dancing, clapping his big floppy paws, and caterwauling those dreadful songs!! And the child, in turn, would laugh and attempt to join in. It is all one can do to keep from fleeing the room!

At least now I understand how my Dad felt, when, as a child, I had a beautiful LOUD bell I loved to ring in the house. One day (according to Mum; I did not see), desperation overtook him. He sneaked into my room, spirited the bell away, grabbed a hammer and banged it into oblivion. Even now, many years later, the playful mention of that bell still makes him shudder.

So, here’s the question: What is (or was) the toy your child loved, but you absolutely hated? Perhaps you loathe Barney as well, or it is another spooky stuffed animal, or a game with an irritating noise. Quite often, I have dreamed of grabbing my nephew’s toy and pitching it outside into oncoming traffic; but, of course, that would be very wicked (however satisfying!). For the moment, I have settled for earplugs.

How do you handle your object of misery?

you’re the aunt correct? I guess I don’t get what is bothering you here. If your niece loves barney, why do you care? There are bigger things in life to get upset about than barney and the fact that your young neice loves barney, Who cares? There are a whole host of other characters that she could get attached to that are far worst than barney and trust me when their 10+, they will not want barney. Pick a different fight, this one isn’t worth it.

 

[Anglewannabe]

When I was a kid, I made my dad do the ‘This little piggy went to the market’ all the time on my toes. Every time I was barefoot and running to him he would say ‘Oh no not again’. I semi suspect he was half kidding because usually he would indulge me

 

[InquestofaWoman]

you’re the aunt correct? I guess I don’t get what is bothering you here. If your niece loves barney, why do you care? There are bigger things in life to get upset about than barney and the fact that your young neice loves barney, Who cares? There are a whole host of other characters that she could get attached to that are far worst than barney and trust me when their 10+, they will not want barney. Pick a different fight, this one isn’t worth it.

OK, now I see this thread DEFINITELY needs to be edited. I have already made a request to do so. I am not angry, Rob. To the contrary, this thread was meant to poke fun at a common situation wherein kids have toys that drive parents or caregivers crazy. I had a few (one was the bell I mentioned). Perhaps you had them, too. I was interested in hearing other silly stories.

I do apologize for the misunderstanding, Rob. As soon as I get permission to edit, I will do what I can to make my intent clear, or remove the thread altogether.

 

[EasterJoy]

I would pray for patience. Children are human beings just like adults. We can not think of all the things we want out of the relationship (like the ones mentioned in your post) and forget about all the things they need and in your nephew’s case it is Barney.

When I was a kid I dreaded 6’oclock because my dad would watch the news. But I also knew that Saturday morning he did not go near the TV because that was cartoon time.

It is the same with your nephew, a bit of give and take. I am sure there are times you are doing something he does not like and he has learnt to do something else while you do your adult activity.

If I was your dad, I would have made the bell an outside toy. But to destroy it while you were not looking was not nice

Angie

I am not saying no one should watch it, but anyone who actually needs Barney has some serious issues. (I did not mind the Purple Thing nearly as much as the hoops those saccharine child actors went through. Ick.)

 

[EasterJoy]

you’re the aunt correct? I guess I don’t get what is bothering you here. If your niece loves barney, why do you care? There are bigger things in life to get upset about than barney and the fact that your young neice loves barney, Who cares? There are a whole host of other characters that she could get attached to that are far worst than barney and trust me when their 10+, they will not want barney. Pick a different fight, this one isn’t worth it.

She did not ask how to fight Barney. The white flag is up. She has playfully asked how to endure him without losing her mind. That is one great aunt!

 

[InquestofaWoman]

Hey, I think I remember that show–the Purple Thing. Wasn’t it large and hairy with one eye?

 

[robwar]

OK, now I see this thread DEFINITELY needs to be edited. I have already made a request to do so. I am not angry, Rob. To the contrary, this thread was meant to poke fun at a common situation wherein kids have toys that drive parents or caregivers crazy. I had a few (one was the bell I mentioned). Perhaps you had them, too. I was interested in hearing other silly stories.

I do apologize for the misunderstanding, Rob. As soon as I get permission to edit, I will do what I can to make my intent clear, or remove the thread altogether.

I guess i don’t get the joke. I am not sure why barney is driving you crazy? It’s one thing to be annoyed with a noisy toy like a bell which probably gave your poor dad a headache when you rang it, it’s another to rant off about some stupid purple dopey looking blob that is just a passing thing.

 

[Anglewannabe]

I am not saying no one should watch it, but anyone who actually needs Barney has some serious issues. (I did not mind the Purple Thing nearly as much as the hoops those saccharine child actors went through. Ick.)

What I meant was kids need their time to enjoy activities that adults could easily find boring.

 

[InquestofaWoman]

I guess i don’t get the joke. I am not sure why barney is driving you crazy? It’s one thing to be annoyed with a noisy toy like a bell which probably gave your poor dad a headache when you rang it, it’s another to rant off about some stupid purple dopey looking blob that is just a passing thing.

Rob, people rant when they are upset. I am not. I chuckled the entire time I wrote the thread. But given my writing style, I can see how it would come across that way; hence the pending revisions.

As to the why, Barney’s voice on the show grates my ears and I’m not a fan of the toy. I have heard lots of people chuckle over things like that, when sharing their child-rearing experiences. The subject can be amusing. In any event, it was never my intent to cause offence here, and I do feel quite sorry for having done so.

 

[EasterJoy]

I didn’t run into this with my children, because I am the baby of the family and had learned from my siblings to not let anything into the house that I could not stand to hear 100 times in a row. No Barney, but we had Bob the Builder.

I did run into this with nieces and nephews. Even as a daily sitter, I found you can put up with nearly anything for a short amount of time. Also, if you are good-natured about it, you can let your nephew know you are not a Barney fan. Get an MP3 player, a book on tape or some favorite music, and a pair of earmuff-style sound mufflers.

When the show comes on, you say, “Barney? Oh, no, not Barney! Barney makes Aunt Inquest nutty and crazy!”–exaggerated and funny. Your nephew will be concerned that you won’t let him watch. “Oh, you can watch. I’m not a Barney fan, but I’m a very big Jacob fan. You watch Barney, I’ll put on my headphones, and I’ll watch you.” Then do that. When he dances around, you dance around. Just keep your back to the set.

He might let you get away with it. It is worth a try. Otherwise, just watch it with him, but make him promise to give you a reward when you’re done. Maybe he has to let you read him your favorite book. Something fun. It is an auntie’s job to be a good sport…

Of course you can also pay him a quarter to give up Barney for a day. You can do all sorts of things as an aunt that parents could never do. Never forget that.

 

[Iron_Donkey]

I guess i don’t get the joke. I am not sure why barney is driving you crazy? It’s one thing to be annoyed with a noisy toy like a bell which probably gave your poor dad a headache when you rang it, it’s another to rant off about some stupid purple dopey looking blob that is just a passing thing.

Have you seen Barney? I mean, that thing made me angry when I was 3 years old. There doesn’t need to be a reason why Barney drives someone crazy, Barney is the reason itself. And yea, verily, when I first saw it and asked it its name, it replied “I Am Who you wish was Not,” which in the language of the time was pronounced “Barney.” It is not merely a thing that annoys, it is the sheer act of to annoy itself.

Fortunately, my nephew does not like Barney. However, for some reason, his father (my brother) has seen fit to buy him a fart gun. I deal with this by living 14 hours away.

(That last sentence is a joke. Mostly.)

 

[EasterJoy]

I guess i don’t get the joke. I am not sure why barney is driving you crazy? It’s one thing to be annoyed with a noisy toy like a bell which probably gave your poor dad a headache when you rang it, it’s another to rant off about some stupid purple dopey looking blob that is just a passing thing.

My MIL was probably the best-natured, easiest-to-get-along-with woman you’d ever want to meet, but she could not endure Barney. I don’t know if you’ve ever forced yourself to sit through the show, but it is fingernails on a chalkboard. It is tooth-achingly sweet. My MIL called Barney “The Purple Thing.” She lived with us, and she wouldn’t have it on while she was in the room. We concurred. No Barney at our house.

I remember the one time I watched Teletubbies. The show started with a happy-clappy lead in. OK, we can live with this. Then at some point one of their bellies began to tingle, and the little TV there went on. It ran a film in which the word “orange” was repeated over and over…and over and over and over. Different orange objects, but the same single word was the only language used. It must have gone on for 12 minutes. When it was over, the Teletubbies all jumped up and down in delight: *Again! Again! Again! *they insisted. And then…they ran the exact same clip all over again!

I decided I could not endure having that on in our home. Children do not need TV. They are better off without it, at such an early age. That was the last time I ever saw Teletubbies, and our children never saw the show once. We all feel better off for it.

 

[InquestofaWoman]

I didn’t run into this with my children, because I am the baby of the family and had learned from my siblings to not let anything into the house that I could not stand to hear 100 times in a row. No Barney, but we had Bob the Builder.

I did run into this with nieces and nephews. Even as a daily sitter, I found you can put up with nearly anything for a short amount of time. Also, if you are good-natured about it, you can let your nephew know you are not a Barney fan. Get an MP3 player, a book on tape or some favorite music, and a pair of earmuff-style sound mufflers.

When the show comes on, you say, “Barney? Oh, no, not Barney! Barney makes Aunt Inquest nutty and crazy!”–exaggerated and funny. Your nephew will be concerned that you won’t let him watch. “Oh, you can watch. I’m not a Barney fan, but I’m a very big Jacob fan. You watch Barney, I’ll put on my headphones, and I’ll watch you.” Then do that. When he dances around, you dance around. Just keep your back to the set.

He might let you get away with it. It is worth a try. Otherwise, just watch it with him, but make him promise to give you a reward when you’re done. Maybe he has to let you read him your favorite book. Something fun. It is an auntie’s job to be a good sport…

Of course you can also pay him a quarter to give up Barney for a day. You can do all sorts of things as an aunt that parents could never do. Never forget that.

Hi, Easter

Love the way you think! I agree, “Bob The Builder” is OK. I never minded that show.

You have a great system there–not letting anything into the house you can’t stand hearing more than 100 times in a row. Marvellous thought, thanks for sharing! I will be sure to give it a try if I ever have children of my own.

My Mum helps with my nephew a lot, since his parents needs the help. Accordingly, I have enjoyed quite the introduction into motherhood! My nephew is great and I could never deprive him of his show. You brim with great ideas, though, on how to survive it!