Lately, my little girl’s new favorite show is Jake and the Never Land Pirates on Disney Jr.  This is a cute show revolving around Jake and his friends: Cubby, Izzy, Skully the parrot and their adventures with Captain Hook and his band of bumbling pirates.  Like most kids shows nowadays, this show teaches counting, teamwork, problem-solving skills and catchy songs, but one thing it taught my little girl is a word that has become a bit of a nuisance.  

What is that word you ask? It’s “never.”  Yes, that one little word has become something of a battle cry for my little girl when she is in trouble or doesn’t want to do something.  When she first started using that word, my wife and I would wonder where did she learn it from, then one day it hit us.  While watching an episode one day, Captain Hook took something from the Jake and when asked to return it he yelled back “Never!”

So, how does she use the word you might ask? Well, when she doesn’t clean up her toys and we tell her that if she doesn’t clean up we will take her toys away, she grabs a few of them and runs away screaming “Never!”  When she’s acting up and is threatened with a time-out, she runs to her room, screaming “Never!” I find it hilarious when she does this, although I don’t let her know what I think about it, but if you were ever to see it in person, you would think it’s pretty funny.

Now, don’t go thinking that I am bashing the show because of this, because I think it’s a fun show.  Like I said previously, it teaches counting, problem-solving skills and teamwork and the songs are pretty catchy, but I think it’s funny that my little girl has become attached to this word.  Each of the characters have their own catch phrase that they use and those are pretty harmless, but I guess I’d rather have her saying “never” than using curse words. 

My wife and I have been telling her how using that word when we asked her to do something is wrong and she needs to understand why.  Luckily, our little girl has started to become aware that using that word will get her in trouble and has started to use it less, but just the other day she dropped her tea set and yelled out, “Ah, coconuts!” which is Cubby’s favorite phrase.  I guess it’s better than saying “Ah, sh…!”

Parents, are there any words that your child has learned from watching one of their favorite shows that has become a nuisance or just hilarious when they use it? Let us know in the comments and what you have done to curb their use of it.